jTHI 

EW1CK 


'wtmi 

USTIN 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE    HISTORY 
OF     . 
ENGRAVING    . 


SULTAN     MAHOMET     II. 
Earliest  known  engraved  portrait 


THE    HISTORY   OF 
ENGRAVING 

FROM    ITS    INCEPTION    TO    THE    TIME 
OF    THOMAS    BEWICK 

BY 

STANLEY   AUSTIN 


EIGHTEEN    ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW    YORK:    CHARLES   SCRIBNERS  SONS 
LONDON:    T.    WERNER    LAURIE 


E 
iyoo 

M37- 

PREFACE 

The  following  pages  are  written  with  the 
express  purpose  of  giving,  in  a  concise 
and  popular  form,  such  account  of  the 
History  of  Engraving  as  it  is  possible  to 
give  within  our  limited  knowledge  of  this 
debatable  subject. 

Standard  works  on  this  subject  are  costly 
and  scantily  illustrated,  and  I  have  found 
reason  to  traverse  many  opinions  which 
have  been  before  expressed.  I  therefore 
acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  the  dis- 
tinguished Authors  who  have  laboured  in  this 
thorny  field  before  me,  and  whose  conclu- 
sions I  have  quoted.  My  thanks  are  due 
to  the  Keeper  of  Prints  and  Drawings  at 
the  British  Museum,  to  Dr  W.  M.  Sharpies, 


vi  PREFACE 

and  to  others  who  have  been  kind  enough 
to  place  their  collections  at  my  disposal 
for  the  purpose  of  illustration  ;  and  my 
acknowledgment  is  also  due  to  my  friend 
Louis  Cecil,  for  literary  assistance  rendered 
during   the  progress  of  the  work. 

STANLEY  AUSTIN 


CONTENTS 


I.   Its  Fabled  or   Romantic  Origin 
II.   More  Claims  Considered 

III.  Block  Books 

IV.  Early  Masters  :  "  E.S."  and  Albrecht 

Durer 

V.   Hans  Holbein  the  Younger     . 

VI.  Progress     of     Wood  -  Engraving      in 
England 

VII.  Some    Masters    of     the     French    and 
Italian  Schools 

VIII.  The  Birth  of  Mezzotint 

IX.  Early  British  Mezzotinters    . 

X.  More  Masters  of  Mezzotint  . 

XI.  A  Great  Exponent  of  Stipple 

XII.  The  Revival  of  Wood-Engraving 

Index  ..... 


PAGE 

I 

23 
32 

49 
59 

70 

82 
106 
121 

H5 
164 

J75 
197 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


Earliest  Known   Engraved  Portrait     .     Frontispiece 
"  Christ  before  Herod  "  .  .     Face  page  22 


Page  from  the  Ars  Memorandi 

Pages  from  the  Ars  Moriendi 

"  Infant  Christ  and  the  Flower  "  . 

The  Prodigal  Son — A.  Durer 

Canterbury  Tales — Caxton 

The  Dice  Player — Caxton     . 

The  Apothecary    .... 

St  George  and  the  Dragon — Montagna 

First  Known  Mezzotint 

Charles  I.      .... 

Harriet  Powell     .... 

Valentine  Green  . 

Francesco  Bartolozzi    . 

Thomas  Bewick       .... 

Woodcuts  by  Bewick 


32 
42 

48 

58 

70 

80 

80 

82 

106 

120 

136 

138 
164 

174 
184 


THE 
HISTORY    OF    ENGRAVING 

CHAPTER    I 

ITS    FABLED    OR    ROMANTIC    ORIGIN 

Fascination  attends  every  step  in  the 
History  of  Engraving,  not  alone  because 
of  the  imperishable  interest  with  which  the 
art  is  invested,  but  also  because  attraction 
is  an  inevitable  accompaniment  of  mystery  ; 
and,  so  far  as  engraving  is  concerned,  where 
there  is  not  mystery  there  is  myth,  and 
where  there  is  neither  of  these  there  is 
romance.  That  the  last  should  exist  should 
not,  rightly,  be  a  cause  of  complaint,  for 
Art  is  the  child  of  romance,  which,  cradled 
in  dreams,  has  ripened  into  undying  reality. 
It  is  the  Aphrodite  of  imagination,  and,  like 
its  parent,  is  possessed  of  endless  charm. 
But    although    willing    forgiveness    may    be 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

extended  to  romance,  it  is  not  equally  easy 
to  forgive  mystery  or  to  accept  fable  ;  hence 
inquiry  has  been  persistent  in  its  endeavour 
to  trace  the  origin  of  an  art  which  has  added 
lustre  to  its  twin  sister  Painting,  and  has 
conferred  so  much  happiness  and  benefit 
upon  the  human  race.  For  engraving  does 
more  than  reproduce  the  rare  and  the  beauti- 
ful ;  it  often  expresses  direct  the  thoughts  of 
masters  of  the  creative  faculty — giving  reality 
to  dreams  without  the  aid  of  brush  or  pencil, 
or,  much  more  frequently,  heightening  the 
charm  of  an  original,  and  lifting  the  work  of 
the  artist  from  a  realm  of  solitude  to  send  it 
forth  to  all  the  world. 

An  immensity  of  speculation  has  been 
indulged  in  respecting  the  original  of  en- 
graving, and  the  art  has  been  spoken  of  as 
having  emanated  from  the,  till  now,  for- 
bidden land  of  Thibet  and  from  the  remote 
civilisation  of  China — the  burden  of  proof 
being  quite  ignored.  And  yet,  in  order  to  find 
information  respecting  it,  or  rather  mention 
made  of  it,  one  need  go  no  further  than  the 
Bible.  In  the  xxxvth  chapter  of  Exodus,  in 
relating  the  building  of  the  tabernacle,  we 
read    that    Moses   said    to    the    children    of 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

Israel  :  "  See,  the  Lord  hath  called  by  name 
Bezaleel  the  son  of  Uri,  the  son  of  Hur,  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah  ;  and  he  hath  filled  him 
with  the  spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  in  under- 
standing, and  in  knowledge,  and  in  all 
manner  of  workmanship.  .  .  .  And  he  hath 
put  in  his  heart  that  he  may  teach,  both  he 
and  Aholiab,  the  son  of  Ahisamach,  of  the 
tribe  of  Dan.  Them  hath  he  filled  with 
wisdom  of  heart,  to  work  all  manner  of 
work,  of  the  engraver \  and  of  the  cunning 
workman"  ;  and  in  the  xxxixth  chapter: 
"  And  they  made  the  plate  of  the  holy  crown 
of  pure  gold,  and  wrote  upon  it  a  writing 
like  to  the  engravings  of  a  signet ,  (  Holiness  to 
the  Lord.' "  Upon  the  face  of  it  this 
appears  to  indicate  that  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab 
were  the  first  to  practise  and  teach  the  art  of 
engraving  on  metal,  though  the  carving  and 
scarabs  was  long  before  their  time.  However 
this  may  be,  to  travel  into  China  for  the 
origin  of  the  art  is  unsatisfactory,  since  the 
known  evidence  is  of  a  somewhat  flimsy 
nature.  Be  that  as  it  may,  let  us  see  what 
is  said.  Du  Halde,  in  his  Description  de 
F Empire  du  Chine,  1736,  tells  us  that  the 
Chinese  printed  on  silk  or  cloth,  from  wooden 
3 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

type,  in  the  reign  of  Ming  Tsong,  the  second 
monarch  of  the  Tartar  Dynasty,  B.C.  50, 
and  he  suggests  that  the  art  of  block  printing 
was  practised  by  them  b.c  1120,  basing  his 
contention  upon  the  utterance  of  the 
Emperor  Von  Vang,  who  in  his  philosophic 
sayings  has  the  following — (( As  the  stone 
Me  (ink)  which  is  used  to  blacken  the 
engraved  character  can  never  become  white, 
so  a  heart  blackened  by  vice  will  always 
retain  its  blackness."  The  deductions  of 
Du  Halde  from  this  sentence  do  not  appear 
to  me  at  all  convincing,  nor  do  they  seem 
to  warrant  the  assumption  of  Papillon  in 
his  'Traite  de  la  Gravure  en  Bois,  or  of  Jansen 
in  his  Essai  sur  I'Origine  de  la  Gravure,  that 
it  is  a  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  the  art  of 
printing  in  China.  Unfortunately  assump- 
tion is  not  proof,  and  no  more  direct  evidence 
is  offered  of  printing  from  the  engraved 
characters  of  b.c.  1120  than  there  is  of  a 
like  process  being  carried  out  from  the 
engraved  plates  of  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab  in 
b.c.  1495  or  thereabouts,  but  any  way,  at 
least  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  before 
the  wisdom  of  Von  Vang  was  given  to  the 

world. 

4 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

Our  own  diarist  Evelyn/  in  his  Sculp- 
ture! (1755),  favours  the  idea  that  we  are 
indebted  to  China  for  the  origin  of  the  art. 
He  says — 

"Sculpture  and  Chalcography  seem  to  have 
been  of  much  ancienter  date  in  China  than  with 
us  ;  where  all  their  writings  and  printed  records 
were  engraven  either  on  copper  plates  or  cut  in 
tablets  of  wood,  of  which  some  we  possess,  and 
have  seen  more,  representing  (in  ill  pictures), 
landskips,  stories  and  the  like.  Josephus  Scaligen 
affirms  that  our  first  letters  in  Europe  were  thus 
cut  upon  wood,  before  they  invented  the  typas 
aneos  (metal  types),  instancing  in  a  certain 
Horologium  B.  Marie,  which  he  says  he  had  seen 
printed  upon  parchment  a  great  while  since  ;  but 
Semedo  [History  of  China)  would  make  the  world 
believe  that  the  forementioned  Chinese  have  been 
possessed  of  this  invention  about  sixteen  hundred 
years;  some  others  affirm  three  thousand  seven 
hundred.  However,  that  they  were  really  masters 
of  it  long  before  us  is  universally  agreed  upon  ; 
and  it  is  yet  in  such  esteem  amongst  them  that 
the  very  artisan  who  compounds  the  ink  for  the 
press  is  not  accounted  amongst  the  mechanic 
professors,  but  is  dignified  with  a  liberal  salary 
and  particular  privileges." 

It  will  be  observed  that  Evelyn  only  offers 

1  Sculpt ura  ;  or,  the  History  of  Chalcography,  p.  41. 
5 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

hearsay  evidence,  of  the  value  of  which  he 
is  distinctly  doubtful. 

The  great  temptation  to  the  searcher  after 
truth  in  connection  with  engraving  and  its 
origin,  is  to  travel  wide  of  the  mark,  and 
while  endeavouring  to  trace  the  history  of 
the  process,  to  miss  the  vital  point,  which  is 
the  history  of  printing  from  the  process. 
However  regrettable  it  may  be,  it  is  none  the 
less  true  that  when  we  approach  the  question 
from  this  standpoint  we  are  not  much  better 
off,  for  the  nearest  approach  to  evidence 
which  has  hitherto  been  forthcoming  is,  to  a 
certain  extent,  shadowed  by  romance  ;  but 
whether  or  not  this  is  sufficient  to  discredit 
the  story  is  a  matter  of  opinion.  I  will  tell 
the  oft-told  tale  again,  and  endeavour  to 
place  clearly  the  reasons  which  should  induce 
belief  in  it,  or  beget  unbelief,  and  leave  my 
readers  to  form  their  own  judgment. 

It  was  in  the  year  17 19,  or  1720,  that 
Papillon  was  sent  by  his  father — who,  among 
other  things,  was  a  decorator — to  the  villa  of 
Captain  de  Greder,  a  Swiss,  at  Bagneaux, 
near  Mont  Rouge,  in  order  to  arrange  for 
and  undertake  personally  some  mural  decora- 
tion.    One  part  of  his  task  was  to  ornament 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

the  shelves  of  the  library,  and  during    the 
dinner- hour  the  youth  examined  and  dipped 
into  volumes  of  interest,  particularly  those 
which  were  scarce  and  ancient.     Finding  him 
thus  engaged,  Captain  de  Greder  told  him 
that  he  had  some  rare  books  which  had  been 
lent  to  him  by  a  brother  officer,  M.  Spirchtvel. 
These  he  showed  him,  and  one  small  volume 
contained  eight  engravings  and  some  verses 
descriptive  of  the  actions  of  Alexander  the 
Great.      Papillon  and  his  host  discussed  the 
question  of  the  origin  of  engraving,  and  as 
the  volume  was  written  "  either  in  bad  Latin 
or  Gothic  Italian,"  neither  of  which  Papillon 
understood,    Captain    de    Greder    translated 
the  introduction  and  other  of  the  letterpress 
to  him,  and  the  youth  wrote  it  down.1     This 
MS.  was  mislaid,  and  in  1758,  after  Papillon 
had  nearly  completed  his  book  on  engraving, 
it  was  discovered  between  some  old  sheets  of 
wallpaper.     The   importance    of  the  manu- 
script was  at  once  apparent,  for  it    detailed 
how  the  art  of  engraving  on  wood  and  print- 
ing therefrom  was  invented  and  practised  by 

1  Telle  que  je  l'ecrivis  devant  lui,  et  qu'il  eut  la  bonte' 
de  me  l'expliquer  et  de  me  la  dieter." — Papillon,  Traite 
historique  de  la  gravure  en  bois,  Paris,  1766,  p.  84. 
7 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

the  twin  son  and  daughter  of  Count  Alberico 
Cunio,  at  Ravenna,  in  1285,  whereas  in  his 
book  Papillon  had  sought  to  show  that  the 
date  of  its  introduction  into  Europe  was 
during  the  fourteenth  century.  Papillon 
did  not  stop  to  correct  what  he  had  written, 
but  just  planked  the  romantic  story  in  and 
let  it  tell  its  own  tale.  The  history  is  that 
the  Count  Alberico  Cunio  married  a  lady 
against  the  wish  of  his  family,  and  by  her 
had  twins,  a  son  and  a  daughter.  He  was 
compelled  by  his  father  to  renounce  his  wife 
and  marry  again,  but  the  offspring  were 
recognised  and  brought  up  in  his  home  circle. 
The  gifted  twins  were  kinsfolk  of  Pope 
Honorius  IV.,  and  the  son,  when  only  fifteen 
years  of  age,  followed  his  father,  a  soldier, 
and  so  distinguished  himself  that  he  was 
knighted  on  the  field  of  battle.  In  their 
leisure,  the  brother  and  sister,  who  had  facile 
pencils,  devised  a  system  of  cutting  their 
sketches  in  wood  and  printing  copies  thereof 
for  presentation  to  their  kinsman  the  Pope, 
and  to  their  parents  and  friends,  and  the 
little  book  which  Papillon  saw  was  the  result. 
Unfortunately  the  volume  which  is  possessed 
of  such  unique  interest  has  never  been  seen 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

since,  and  we  are  therefore  reduced  into 
determining  the  value  of  Papillon's  statement 
as  judged  primarily  by  his  own  character, 
and  also  by  the  internal  evidence  of  proba- 
bility which  the  story  bears.  The  first  and 
most  regrettable  feature  is  that  Papillon 
himself  did  not  know  whether  the  volume 
was  written  in  Latin  or  Italian  ;  it  was  trans- 
lated to  him  by  M.  de  Greder,  so  that  what 
follows  is  a  translation  of  a  translation.  We 
must,  however,  recollect  that  Papillon 
handled,  examined,  and  described  the  en- 
gravings and  that  he  had  absolutely  no 
motive  to  be  unveracious.  The  introduction 
to  this  remarkable  volume  was  as  follows  : — 

"  The  Heroic  Actions,  Represented  in  Figures, 

"Of  the  great  and  magnanimous  Macedonian 
King,  the  bold  and  valiant  Alexander  ;  dedicated, 
presented,  and  humbly  offered  to  the  Most  Holy 
Father,  Pope  Honorius  IV.,  the  glory  and  support 
of  the  Church,  and  to  our  illustrious  and  generous 
father  and  mother,  by  us,  Allessandra  Alberico 
Cunio,  Cavaliere,  and  Isabella  Cunio,  twin  brother 
and  sister  ;  first  reduced,  imagined,  and  attempted 
to  be  executed  in  relief  with  a  small  knife  on 
blocks  of  wood,  made  even  and  polished  by  this 
learned  and  dear  sister;  continued  and  finished  by 
us  together  at  Ravenna,  from  the  eight  pictures  of 
9 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

our  invention,  painted  six  times  larger  than  here 
represented  ;  engraved,  explained  by  verses,  and 
thus  marked  upon  the  paper,  to  perpetuate  the 
number  of  them,  and  to  enable  us  to  present  them 
to  our  relations  and  friends  in  testimony  of  grati- 
tude, friendship,  and  affection.  All  this  was 
done  and  finished  by  us  when  only  sixteen  years 
of  age." 

As    translated    by  Captain   de    Greder  to 
Papillon,  the  inscription  ran — 

u  Les  Chevaleureux  Faits  en  Figures, 

"  Du  grand  et  magnanime  Macedonien  Roi,  le 
preux  et  vaillant  Alexandre,  d£dies  presentes  et 
offert  humblement  au  tres  saint  pere  le  Pape 
Honorius  IV.,  la  gloire  et  le  soutien  de  l'figlise, 
et  a  nos  illustres  et  g£n£reux  pere  et  mere,  par 
nous  Alexandre  Alberic  Cunio,  Chevalier,  et 
Isabelle  Cunio,  frere  et  sceur  jumeaux  ;  premiere- 
ment  reduits,  imagines  et  essayes  de  faire  en  relief, 
avec  un  petit  couteau,  en  tables  de  bois,  unies  et 
polies  par  cette  scavante  et  chere  sceur,  continues 
et  acheves  ensemblement  a  Ravenne,  d'apres  les 
huit  tableaux  de  notre  invention,  peints  six  fois 
plus  grands  qu'ici  representes  ;  taill^s,  expliqu6s  en 
vers,  et  ainsi  marques  sur  le  papier  pour  en  per- 
petuer  le  nombre,  et  en  pourvoir  donner  a  nos 
parens  et  amis  par  reconnoissance,  amitie  et  affec- 
tion. Ce  fait  fini,  ag6s  seulement  Tun  et  l'autre  de 
seize  annees  parfaites." 

10 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

On  the  margin  of  one  of  the  sheets,  written 
in  very  faint  ink  and  in  Italian,  which 
Captain  de  Greder  translated  with  difficulty, 
was  the  following  • — "  The  ground  of  the 
wooden  blocks  must  be  hollowed  deeper  that 
the  paper  may  not  touch  it  any  more  in 
receiving  the  impression,"  referring  to  certain 
blemishes  appearing  in  the  engravings  which 
Papillon  surmised  were  printed  on  dry  paper 
by  the  simple  process  of  inking  the  blocks, 
laying  on  the  paper,  and  passing  the  hand 
over  the  back  to  obtain  the  impression. 

Now,  first,  we  must  inquire  into  the 
history  of  the  volume.  According  to  a 
written  slip  inserted  in  it,  which  was  also 
translated  by  Captain  de  Greder,  Count 
Alberico  de  Cunio  gave  the  book  to  Jan. 
Jacq.  Turinne,  of  Berne,  from  whom  it 
descended  to  his  grandson,  and  this  gentle- 
man caused  a  history  of  the  twins,  who  died 
in  their  seventeenth  year,  to  be  written. 
From  him  the  book  passed  to  his  daughter, 
and  ultimately  came  into  the  possession  of 
M.  Spirchtvel,  whose  mother  was  a  Turinne. 
Thus  far  the  history  of  the  volume,  which 
has  since  vanished  as  mysteriously  as  many 

another  work   of  art  of  incalculable  value, 
ii 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

although  it  has  been  conjectured  to  be  pos- 
sible that  the  library  of  the  Vatican  may 
enshrine  a  forgotten  copy  ;  so  now  we  will 
inquire  what  the  experts  on  engraving  have 
to  say  on  the  subject.  Well,  it  is  particu- 
larly noticeable  that  neither  Huber  in  his 
Manuel  des  Amateurs,  nor  Bartsch  in  his 
Pientre  Graveury  notice  it,  nor  does  Heineken 
in  his  Idee  Generale  or  in  his  Dictionnaire  des 
Artistes  ;  but  in  his  Idee  Generale  Heineken 
goes  out  of  his  way  to  say  of  Papillon, 
((  Fai  vu  que  cet  ecrivain  est  trop  ignorant 
pour  etre  allegne  a  Tavernr."  l  Later,  how- 
ever, in  his  Neue  Nachrichten,  1786,  after  he 
had  seen  Papillon,  Heineken  says — "  I  am 
firmly  convinced  that  he  (Papillon)  did  not 
invent  that  which  he  told  me."  With 
respect  to  Heineken's  statement  that  Papillon 
was  an  ignoramus,  it  is  worth  noting  that 
Ottley  accuses  Heineken  of  a  like  fault,  and 
says  that  his  work  contains  "  several  errors 
which  a  little  more  respect  for  the  labours 
of  other  writers,  and  among  the  rest  for 
those  of  Papillon,  would  have  prevented 
his      committing "  ; 2      and     Conway     goes 

1  Idee  Generale,  p.  239. 

2  Ottley,  History  of  Engraving,  vol.  i.  p.  10. 

12 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

further  and  remarks — "  I  give  no  reference 
to  Heineken,  as  his  descriptions  are  utterly 
inaccurate. " 

Strutt  rejects  the  story,  but  he  falls  into 
error    himself,    for    he    writes  — "  But    as 
Papillon  gives  this  story  upon  the  sole  evi- 
dence of  the  Swiss    officer,  and    had    never 
seen  any  part  of  the  engravings,"  etc.1     Yet 
we    have    seen   that    Papillon    did    see    and 
handle    the    book,    and    that    it    is    he  who 
described    the    prints    and    conjectured    that 
they  were  obtained  from  a  pale  tint  of  indigo, 
in  distemper  by  hand  pressure,  Captain  de 
Greder    merely    translating     the     inscribed 
matter,  or  what  we  should  now  term  letter- 
press.    Ottley  sees  in  the  cramped  style  of 
the    inscription    evidence    of    its    not    being 
invented,  and  surmises  that  it  was  a  literal 
translation   of  a  Latin  original  ;  and  Padre 
della  Valle,  with  whom  Bullett  agrees,  does 
not  question  the  narrative,  but  remarks  that 
Ravenna  was  the  Athens  of  the  fine  arts,  and 
some  one  of  the   many  artists  who  flocked 
thither  might  well  have  invented  the  art  of 
engraving  in  wood  for  the  purpose  of  im- 
pression, and  adds  his  conviction  that  some 

1  Strutt,  Dictionary  of  Engravers,  vol.  ii.  p.  13. 
13 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

of  the  initial  letters  of  Dante's  MS.  were 
engraved.  Zani,  in  his  Materiali  per  servire 
alia  storia,  etc.,  del?  Incisione  in  Rame  e  in 
Legno,  1802,  waxes  enthusiastic  and  says — 
"  I  would  almost  assert  that  to  deny  the 
testimony  of  the  French  writer  would  be 
like  denying  the  existence  of  light  on  a  fine 
sunshiny  day." 

As  some  critics  have  carried  their  animus 
to  the  extent  of  asserting  that  there  is  no 
trace  of  the  existence  of  a  Count  Alberico 
Cunio  at  the  time  mentioned,  it  may  be 
pointed  out  that  his  name  appears  in  the 
History  of  Faenzay  1285,  the  year  in  which 
Pope  Honorius,  who  only  reigned  some  two 
years,  ascended  the  Papal  throne.  It  appears 
incredible  to  me  that  a  French  artist  of 
proved  veracity  and  repute  should  go  out 
of  his  way  to  devise  a  tale  containing  an 
immensity  of  detail,  in  order  to  fix  the  glory 
of  the  invention  of  engraving  on  wood  upon 
two  Italian  children.  Patriotism,  which 
plays  so  intense  a  part  in  France,  is  dead 
against  such  a  supposition  ;  there  was  no 
motive  for  a  fraud  which  destroyed  his  own 
written  conclusions,  and  as  I  do  not  conceive 
that  Papilion  dreamed  the  romantic  story,  I 
14 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

imagine  the  balance  of  probability  is  in  its 
favour.  It  is  but  just  to  note  that  Chatto, 
in  the  historical  portions  of  Jackson's  Treatise 
of  Wood  Engraving,  treats  the  Cunio  story 
with  scorn,  and  marshals  quite  an  army  of 
damaging  facts  against  it  ;  and  he  suggests 
that  the  so-called  Cunio  plates  were  copies  of 
the  designs  of  Le  Brun,  and  lays  some  stress 
upon  the  mental  lapses  of  Papillon.  But 
Papillon  was  a  competent  man,  of  whom 
even  Heineken  writes — "  Cependant  Jesuis 
convaineu  que  l'Antem,  dont  je  connois  le 
caractere,  a  ecrit  tout  cela  de  bonne  foi,  sans 
en  savoir  d'avantage."  l  It  is  easy  to  call  one 
with  whom  we  disagree  "  ignorant/'  or  to 
describe  a  detailed  narrative  as  "  sentimental 
fustian,"  but  such  phrases  are  poor  argu- 
ment ;  it  is  better,  as  Lanzi  does,»  to  admit 
that  Papillon's  account  contains  things  so 
hard  to  be  believed  that  "  I  judge  it  the 
safest  mode  to  say  nothing  about  it."  2  Is 
it,  however,  less  hard  to  credit  that  a  man 
of  standing  would  try  to  deceive  the  whole 
world  of  Art  in  order  to  glorify  a  foreign 
nation,  the  while  he  pulverised  his  own  con- 

1  Idee  Generate,  p.  151. 

2  Storm  Pittorica,  vol.  i.  p.  74* 

15 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

elusions  ?     Such  folly   appears   to  me  to  be 
incredible. 

Whether  the  Cunio  story  be  accepted  or 
rejected  is,  unfortunately,  a  matter  of  no 
great  importance  to  the  inquirer  into  the 
history  of  wood  engraving,  since  between 
the  date  of  the  alleged  invention  by  the 
twins  and  the  next  reliable  information  re- 
specting the  art  is  a  gap  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  years.  During  this  long  period 
we  know  that  the  practice  of  engraving  had 
made  huge  strides,  for  on  this  point  we  have 
abundant  evidence  ;  but  we  know  very  little 
more,  and  the  story  of  its  progress  is  based 
largely  upon  conjecture.  The  next  absolute 
datum  upon  which  we  can  rely  is  found  in  a 
decree  of  the  Government  of  Venice,  dis- 
covered by  Temanza,  which  was  designed  to 
protect  the  artists  of  the  city  against  foreign 
practitioners,  and  was  conceived  in  the  best 
spirit  of  mediaeval  trades  unionism.  Before 
I  quote  this  edict,  I  may  recall — what  is  well- 
known — that  Venice  was  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  greatest  artistic  centres  from  a  very 
early  period.  Lanzi,  in  his  Storia  Pittorica, 
asserts    that    the    Company    of   Painters    at 

Venice  was  established   prior   to    1290,  but 
16 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

that  the  original  books  were  destroyed  and 
new  ones  commenced  in  1436,  and  he  sug- 
gests that  but  for  this  lamentable  occurrence 
much  light  might  have  been  shed  upon  the 
history  of  engraving.  This  is  very  probable, 
for  the  Company  of  Painters  seems  to  have 
been  comprehensive  in  its  scope  and  to  have 
included  all  persons  directly  or  indirectly 
concerned  with  the  art  within  its  ranks, 
much  as  did  our  own  London  Guilds  in 
days  gone  by.  Thus  the  Venetian  Guild  of 
St  Luke  included  painters,  wood  engravers, 
carvers  and  gilders,  picture-frame-makers, 
box-makers,  and  workers  in  any  material, 
including  leather,  which  was  capable  of 
being  adorned  by  the  painter's  art  ;  and 
it  was  to  benefit  these  allied  trades  that 
the  order  was  issued.  This  important 
decree  runs  as  follows : — 

"Mccccxli,  October  11. — Whereas  the  art 
and  mystery  of  making  cards  and  printed  figures, 
which  is  used  at  Venice  has  fallen  into  total  decay  ; 
and  this  in  consequence  of  the  great  quantity  of 
playing  cards  and  coloured  figures  printed  which 
are  made  out  of  Venice  ;  to  which  evil  it  is  neces- 
sary to  apply  some  remedy  ;  in  order  that  the  said 
artists,  who  are  a  great  many  in  family,  may  find 
encouragement  rather  than  foreigners  :  Let  it  be 
b  17 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

ordered  and  established,  according  to  that  which 
the  said  Masters  have  supplicated,  that  from  this 
time,  in  future,  no  work  of  the  said  art  that  is 
printed  or  painted  on  cloth  or  on  paper,  that  is  to 
say,  altar  pieces  and  playing  cards,  and  whatever 
other  work  of  the  said  art  is  done  with  a  brush 
and  printed,  shall  be  allowed  to  be  brought  or 
imported  into  this  city  under  pain  of  forfeiting  the 
work  so  imported,  and  xxx  livres  and  xii  soldi  ;  of 
which  fine  one  third  shall  go  to  the  State,  one 
third  to  the  Signor  Giustizieri  Vecchi,  to  whom 
the  affair  is  committed,  and  one  third  to  the  ac- 
cuser. With  this  condition,  however,  that  the 
artists  who  make  the  said  works  in  this  city,  may 
not  expose  the  said  works  to  sale  in  any  place  but 
their  own  shops  under  the  pain  aforesaid,  except 
on  the  day  of  Wednesday  at  S.  Paolo,  and  on 
Saturday  at  S.  Marco,  under  the  pain  aforesaid. 
Signed  by  the  Provedetori  del  Commune  and  by 
Giustizieri  Vecchi." 

From  this  decree,  we  learn  beyond  ques- 
tion, that  the  art  of  reproducing  from 
paintings  had  been  carried  on  extensively 
in  Venice  for  some  time,  and  was  suffering 
from  foreign  competition,  and  Heineken,  in 
his  Idee  Generate,  says,  <(  qui  sans  doute 
etoient  des  Allemands."  There  is,  however, 
absolutely  nothing  on  which  to  support  this 
contention,  as  we  shall  presently  see  ;    and 

J8 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

Zani '  points  out  that  the  word  ff  foreigners  " 
related  to  all  painters  and  wood  engravers 
who  were  not  incorporated  within  the  city, 
and  included  those  practising  these  arts 
within  the  limits  of  the  Republic,  but  out- 
side Venice  itself,  quite  as  much  as  those  of 
alien  nationality.  We  are,  however,  still 
befogged  about  the  origin  of  an  art  that  had 
evidently  attained  considerable  proportions, 
and  which  was  inextricably  mixed  with  the 
production  of  playing  cards,  for  we  may 
fairly  assume  that  this  labour  was  not 
entirely  undertaken  by  hand. 

I  do  not  wish  to  wander  off  in  side  issues, 
but  I  may  say  here,  that  Breikopf  urges  that 
wood  engravings  of  saints,  etc.,  preceded 
the  use  of  wood  blocks  for  the  manufacture 
of  playing  cards,2  whose  introduction  into 
Europe  is  not  assured  until  1400.  The 
story  about  Edward  I.  playing  the  game  of 
The  Four  Kings  with  cards,  in  1277,  may 
be  dismissed,  for  this  Oriental  pastime  is 
the  parent  of  the  modern  game  of  draughts, 
and  has  nothing  to  do  with  cards.     Whence 

1  Material^  p.  77. 

2  See  Jansen,  Essai  sur  P '  Origine  de  la  Gravure,  vol.  i. 
p.  104. 

19 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

then   did   the  Venetians    derive    the   art    of 
engraving  and   printing   playing  cards,   and 
more     ambitious     pictures     that    were     the 
ancient  ikons  ?     From  the  Cunios  ?     Ottley 
says    ff  no/'     and    urges    that     l(  the    most 
reasonable  conclusion  appears  to  be  that  the 
Venetians  acquired  the  art  of  wood  engrav- 
ing  at  a   very  early  period   of  their   inter- 
course with  the  people  of  Tartary,  Thibet 
and  China,  and  that  they  practised  it,  among 
other  arts  which  they  had  learned  from  their 
Eastern  friends,  as  a  means  of  beneficial  traffic 
with  the  continent  of  Europe  ;  and  that,  in 
course  of  time,  the  artists  of  Germany  and 
other  parts  found  out  their  secret  and  prac- 
tised it  themselves. "  *     He  suggests  that  the 
Cunios  were  inspired  by  the  Venetians,  and 
advances  the  strange  theory  that  the  Eastern 
peoples    must    have    been    acquainted    with 
engraving   because    Marco    Polo    makes    no 
mention  of  it !     If,  he  contends,  the  art  had 
been  new  or  strange  to  the  Venetians,  or  to 
the  peoples  among  whom  he  travelled,  Marco 
Polo    would    have    said    so  ;    an    argument 
which  does  not  appear  to  me  to  be  convinc- 
ing.     Far    more    to    the    point    is    Ottley's 

1  History  of  Engraving,  vol.  i.  p.  59. 
20 


ITS  FABLED  OR  ROMANTIC  ORIGIN 

surmise  that  the  earlier  engravings  were  in 
outline  only,  roughly  daubed  with  colour, 
and  were  sold  as  pictures  or  cheap  paintings, 
and  that  the  origin  is  obscured  because  the 
art  was  unsuspected  ! 

An  ingenious  theory  is  put  forward  by 
Woodberry,  attributing  the  origin  of  engrav- 
ing direct  to  the  goldsmiths,  and  ignoring 
its  probable  evolution  from  block  prints. 
He  says — 

"  They  (the  goldsmiths)  were  the  only  persons 
who  had  by  them  all  the  means  for  taking  an  im- 
pression— the  engraved  metal  plate,  iron  tools, 
burnishers  for  rubbing  off  a  proof,  blackened  oil, 
and  paper  which  they  used  for  tracing  their 
designs;  they  would,  too,  have  been  aided  in 
their  art  merely  as  goldsmiths,  could  they  have 
tested  their  engraving  from  time  to  time  by 
taking  an  impression  from  it  in  its  various  stages. 
It  is  not  unlikely,  therefore,  that  the  art  of  taking 
impressions  from  engraved  work  was  found  out, 
or  at  least  was  first  extensively  applied  in  their 
workshops,  where  it  could  hardly  have  failed  to  be 
discovered  ultimately,  as  paper  came  into  use  more 
generally  for  more  various  purposes.  If  this  were 
the  case,  metal  engraving  preceded  wood  engrav- 
ing, but  only  by  a  brief  space  of  time."1 

He  supports  his  contention,  which  seems 

1   History  of  Wood  Engraving,  p.  17. 
21 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

to  be  shared  by  Wiltshire,  by  allusion  to  the 
fact  that  dotted  line  prints  were  known  in 
1450,  and  that  some  have  the  inscriptions 
and  figures  reversed,  and  were,  evidently, 
not  intended  to  be  used  for  printing.  There 
is  much  in  what  he  says,  and  we  have  already 
seen  that  engraving  on  metal  was  first 
adopted  by  the  Hebrews  under  the  Mosaic 
Dispensation  ;  but  as  we  have  to  do  with 
prints  from  engravings,  rather  than  with 
engravings  themselves,  the  admission  which 
he  makes  does  not  strengthen  his  contention. 


22 


mwm 


ILS111 


rv 


1  W  /  i 

I  w  il 


CHRIST    BEFORE     HEROD. 
(Probable  date  1380). 


CHAPTER  II 

MORE    CLAIMS    CONSIDERED 

While,  as  we  have  seen,  one  writer  of  repute 
endeavours  to  give  credit  to  the  Venetians 
for  the  introduction  of  the  art  of  engraving 
into  Europe,  Heineken  as  stoutly  upholds 
the  claims  of  Germany,  and,  singularly 
enough,  pursues  a  similar  line  of  argument 
to  that  adopted  by  Ottley  with  regard  to 
Marco  Polo.  With  a  complacency  which 
excites  alike  envy  and  admiring  wonder,  he 
argues  that,  li  our  total  ignorance  respecting 
the  first  engravers  in  wood  is  also  a  great 
argument  for  Germany.  For  if  that  art  had 
been  invented  in  any  other  country,  the 
ancient  writers  of  that  country  would  not 
have  failed  to  receive  it."  As  if  this  sur- 
mise settled  the  matter  for  good  and  all,  he 
further  placidly  observes  that,  "  those  who 
seek  for  it  (i.e.,  the  origin  of  engraving)  out 
of  Germany  will  lose  their  labour."  This 
very  bold  assertion  does  not  at  all  discon- 
23 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

cert  me,  since  Heineken  is  often  marvellously 
illogical.  Thus  in  another  part  of  the  Idee 
Generate  he  maintains  that  it  is  proved  that 
playing  cards  were  in  use  in  Germany  before 
1376,  because  at  that  date  they  were  known 
to  be  employed  in  France  !  No  doubt  it  is 
pleasing  to  self-love  and  to  legitimate 
national  pride  to  imagine  that  all  that  is 
best  emanates  from  the  country  to  which 
we  each  belong,  but  art  knows  no  country 
and  has  no  frontiers  to  defend  ;  it  is  uni- 
versal, cosmopolitan,  the  embodiment  of 
freedom,  and  argument  that  would  place  it 
within  restricted  areas  for  the  sake  of 
fictitious  patriotism  is  about  as  foolish  as 
it  is  worthless. 

Giorgio  Vasari,  in  his  Lives  of  Painters, 
claims  that  the  invention  of  engraving  in 
Europe  is  due  to  one  Maso  Finigueria,  a 
Florentine,  who  engraved  plates  of  brass 
and  took  off  impressions  with  moist  paper 
and  a  rolling-pin,  and  suggests  that  he  was 
followed  by  Baccio  Baldini,  a  goldsmith  of 
Antwerp,  who  engraved  The  Wise  and  Foolish 
Virgins,  The  Crucifix  that  Gerado  copied,  the 
extremely  rare  Assumption  of  the  B.V.M.,  and 

The  Temptations  of  St  Anthony  which  Michel 
24 


MORE  CLAIMS  CONSIDERED 

Angelo  insisted  upon  washing.     I  am  quite 
ready,  as  lawyers  say,  to  admit  the  rolling- 
pin,  the  moist  paper  and  other  accessories  of 
Maso  Finigueria,  but  it  is  not  contended  by 
his  sponsor  that  he  flourished  before   1460. 
Now    the    illustration,    u  Christ    appearing 
before     Herod/'     is    from     an     engraving 
which  is  supposed  to  date  from   1380,   and 
was    certainly     executed     prior    to      1400  ; 
it     is,     therefore,     unnecessary     to     pursue 
this  Italian  claim  further.     Nor  would  any 
useful  purpose  be  served  by  considering  too 
closely    the    assertions    of    Meerman T    that 
Lawrence    Coster    or    Laurent    Janzoon    of 
Haarlem    was    the    inventor    of   the    art    of 
engraving    as    well    as    of    printing     from 
movable    types.     This  worthy — whose   very 
existence    is    far    from    certain — is    credited 
by  those  who   seek    to    obtain    the    honour 
of  the  discovery  of  engraving  for  the  Dutch, 
with  having  printed  the  first  edition  of  the 
Speculum  Humane  Salvationis  in  Dutch,  the 
Figure  typicse  Veteris  at  que  Novi    Testamenti 
or  Biblta  Pauperum,  the  Historia  Sen  Provi- 
dentia  Virginis  Maria  ex  Cantico   Canticorumy 
the  Ars  Moriendi  and  the  Hostoria  S.  Jonnis 

1  Meerman,  Orighe,  Typograpkica,  Haga   Comite,  1765. 
25 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Evangelist     Ej  usque     Visiones     Apocalyptic^. 

The  supporters  of  this    strange    story  have 

the  great  fault  of  being  too  emphatic  and 

too  precise.     Thus  Seiz  is  good  enough  to 

date  these  works  in  the  following  order  : — 

Bib  Ha   Pauper  um    1432,    C antic  0    Canticorum 

1433,  Apocalypse  1434,  and  the  Speculum  in 

1439.      1    am    unable    to    find    the   slightest 

evidence    which    justifies    these    dates,    but 

even  if  I  had  been  able  to  do  so,  they  about 

disprove    the    theory    that    Coster    was    the 

inventor   of  engraving.     It  is  noted  in  the 

Idee   Gene'rale  that   a   copy   of   the   Speculum 

belonging  to  the  city  of  Haarlem  had  at  the 

commencement  Ex  Officina    Laurentii  Jonnis 

Costerii  Anno   1440,  but   the   inscription  was 

admittedly  modern,  and  by  consequence    of 

no    value.     Jackson,   moreover,    points    out 

that   the   text    of  the   Speculum  in  the  first 

edition  was  printed  from  metal  types,  and 

regards  it  in  the  highest  degree  improbable 

that  it  was  produced  before    1472  ;J  and  a 

supposed   find   of  a    note   written    by    Pope 

Martin   V.,  who  reigned   141 7- 143 1,    in    a 

copy  of  the   Apocalypse  does  not  rest  upon 

trustworthy  evidence.     With  every  deference 

1  Treatise  of  Wood  Engraving,  p.  106. 
26 


MORE  CLAIMS  CONSIDERED 

to  the  opinions  of  Meerman  and  Sotheby,1 
I  am  inclined  to  think  with  Renouvier  that 
the  Coster  stories  are  "  a  group  of  legends 
about  the  cradle  of  modern  art,  like  those 
recounted  of  ancient  art,  the  history  of 
Craton,  of  Saurias,  or  of  the  daughter  of 
Dibutades,  who  invented  design  by  tracing 
on  a  wall  the  silhouette  of  her  lover.2 
Certain  it  is  that  the  tales  of  Coster  would 
be  received  with  considerable  indifference 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  of  the  claim  made 
by  Meerman  that  it  was  he  who  was  the 
inventor  of  engraving  in  Europe.  The 
marvel  to  me  is  how  anyone  could  have 
been  found  willing  to  credit  such  a  state- 
ment even  for  an  instant,  since  the  dates 
alleged  by  its  advocates  negative  its  possi- 
bility. Admitting  that  Lawrence  Coster 
lived  and  produced  the  Speculum  in  1440, 
how  is  he  author  of  an  art  which  was  known 
in  Europe  in  1285?  When  this  is  ex- 
plained, the  Dutch  claims  will  be  worthy 
of  consideration,  and  not  before. 

1   Principia  Typographic  1858,  vol.  i.  p.  I  79. 
Histoire  de  F  Origine  et  des  Progrh  de  la   Gravure 
dans  les   Pays- B as    et   en    Allemagnei  jusqu'a   la  fin   du 
quinzihne  Siecle,  i860. 

27 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

As  regards  the  art  itself,  it  is  a  matter 
of  small  moment  who  was  the  first  engraver, 
just  as  it  is  a  subject  of  indifference  from 
what  country  he  sprang  ;  but  for  the 
curious  there  is  an  intense  fascination  in  a 
question  which  is  fenced  round  with  ob- 
stacles, many  of  which  have  been  created 
by  rank  carelessness.  Take,  for  instance, 
the  case  of  Mr  Horn,  quoted  by  Dr  Dibdin 
in  his  Bibliotheca  Spenceriana.  He  tells  us 
that  Mr  Horn,  "  a  gentleman  long  and 
well  known  for  his  familiar  acquaintance 
with  ancient  books  printed  abroad,"  was 
in  possession  of  a  copy  of  the  Biblia 
Pauperum)  the  Ars  Moriendi  and  the 
Apocalypse  bound  in  one  volume,  upon  the 
cover  of  which  was  stamped  ((  Hie  Liber 
Relegatus  fuit  per  Plebanum  Ecclesiae — 
Anno  Domini  142(8)."  The  last  figure  is 
uncertain,  because  Mr  Horn  had  broken  up 
the  volume  and  parted  with  the  contents, 
and,  presumably,  destroyed  the  cover,  and 
had  to  trust  to  memory  alone  ;  but  although 
not  certain  about  the  figure  8,  he  was 
positive  that  the  date  was  before  1430. 
Upon     the    strength     of    this,    Dr    Dibdin 

dates     the     Ars     Memorandi     Notabilis   per 
28 


MORE  CLAIMS  CONSIDERED 

Figuras  in  the  Spencer  Collection  as  before 

1430,  because  it  is  apparently  earlier  than 

the    Biblia    Pauperum,  and    says   that    "  the 

reader    will    not    consider    his    conclusion   a 

precipitate    or    unguarded    one.,,     But    that 

is   precisely  what    I    do    consider  it  to   be. 

Once  we   allow  the  special   qualifications  of 

Mr  Horn  as  a  judge  of  books  and  prints, 

upon   which    Dr   Dibdin  insists,  we  cannot 

fail    to    ask    how    he,    an    expert,    came    to 

break    up    so    valuable    a    volume,    and    to 

destroy    evidence    of    date    which    he    must 

have    known    to    have    been    above    price  ? 

In    their    precious    cover    the    three    books 

would   have    formed,    as    it    were,    evidence 

of  incalculable    worth,  and    their    possessor 

would    have    been    the    envied    of  the    Art 

world  ;  without  it  they  became  of  no  greater 

value  than  the  twenty-eight  copies  scattered 

about    the   globe,    and    not    so    valuable    as 

the    copy  held   by  Corpus   Christi    College, 

Cambridge.     It    is    incredible    that    such     a 

thing    should    have    occurred^    because    Mr 

Horn  was  an  authority  on  the  subject,  and 

could  not  have  committed  so  great  a  crime 

against    Art    unless    he    did    so    wilfully,   if 

indeed  he  ever   did  it  at  all.     Here,  then, 
29 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

we  have  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  pre- 
sented, with  which  the  inquirer  has  to  con- 
tend. If  we  accept  the  evidence  of  Mr 
Horn,  and  give  credence  to  his  treacherous 
memory,  we  become  able  at  once  to  fix 
with  considerable  approach  to  accuracy  the 
date  at  which  the  earliest  block  books  were 
printed  ;  but  if  we  do  not  place  reliance  on 
his  statements,  we  must  continue  to  grope  on 
until,  perchance,  we  see  light.  I  must  say 
I  have  no  faith  in  evidence  of  such  nature  ; 
and  though  quite  willing  to  believe  that 
the  Biblia  Pauperum,  the  Ars  Moriendi  and 
the  Apocalypse  were  published  prior  to  1430, 
that  the  worthy  curate  bound  them,  and 
that  the  Ars  Memorandi  was  of  still  earlier 
date  than  they,  I  do  so  because  of  the 
evidences  of  antiquity  which  they  bear, 
and  not  at  all  because  I  rely  upon  the 
recollection  of  Mr  Horn. 

It  seems,  indeed,  as  if  in  this  matter  of 
engraving,  and  its  introduction  into  Europe, 
we  are  destined  to  continue  to  grope  for 
a  more  or  less  extended  period,  and  yet  I 
am  inclined  to  think  that  when  public 
opinion  is  aroused  in  the  matter,  and 
others  than  students  and  collectors  take 
30 


MORE  CLAIMS  CONSIDERED 

interest  in  the  subject,  that  a  flood  of  light 
will  delight  us  with  its  radiance.  There 
are  few  old  houses,  even  among  the  middle 
classes,  where  one  will  not  find  old  prints 
of  more  or  less  value,  and  fewer  still  where 
one  will  not  discover  old  books  stored 
away  as  things  of  no  worth.  As  time  goes 
on,  their  possessors  will  awaken  to  the  fact 
that  what  they  hold  may  constitute  a  link 
in  a  broken  chain,  and  experts  will  be 
granted  the  privilege  of  connecting  the 
various  parts  of  evidence  which  shall  repair 
the  present  breakage.  Of  course  the  wish 
is  largely  father  to  the  thought  in  this  case, 
although  I  firmly  believe  that  hundreds  of 
unsuspected  treasures  are  packed  away  in 
the  British  Isles  alone  ;  yet  it  is  unsatis- 
factory to  traverse  so  much  ground  and 
have  to  arrive  at  so  many  negative  conclu- 
sions. For  the  present,  there  is  no  choice 
but  to  pass  on  and  possess  our  souls  in 
patience. 


3i 


CHAPTER  III 

BLOCK    BOOKS 

Although  the  origin  of  block  books  is  far 
less    obscure   than    other   matters   connected 
with  the  History  of  Engraving,  controversy 
has   raged   also   round  this  point,  and    such 
a  variety  of  opinions  have  been  expressed, 
that  it  is  not  easy  to  trace  a  firm  pathway 
over   the  intellectual  quagmire.      Supposing 
we    were    to    admit   Du   Halde's  claim    for 
the    Chinese,   that   would   in    no  way   solve 
the   difficulty   of   deciding    how,   when    and 
where   block    printing,    if   I    may    use    that 
term,    was    introduced    into    Europe.      The 
statement    by    Weigel,    of   Leipzig,    in    his 
History    of    Block    Printing     before    Albrecht 
Diirer,    that    block    printing,    on    silk,    was 
done  in  Europe  during  the  twelfth  century, 
requires    further    confirmation,    and     I    am 
compelled  to  think  that  the  first  real  impetus 
given    to    the    art    was    occasioned    by    the 
pronouncement  of  Pope  Gregory  the  Great, 
32 


FROM    THE     ARS     MEMORANDI. 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

that,  "what  writing  is  to  those  who  read, 
that  a  picture  is  to  those  who  have  only 
eyes  ;  because,  however  ignorant  they  are, 
they  see  their  duty  in  a  picture,  and  then, 
although  they  have  not  learned  their  letters, 
they  read  ;  wherefore,  for  the  people 
especially,  painting  stands  in  place  of  litera- 
ture/' This  eminently  common-sense  and 
authoritative  utterance  has  probably  much 
to  do  with  the  matter,  as  I  shall  presently 
show,  for  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  we 
owe  much  that  is  fine  in  Art  as  well  as 
in  letters  to  the  Ecclesiastics,  who  only 
required  a  stimulus  to  help  them  to  greater 
efforts. 

Before  I  proceed  to  give  my  own  views, 
I  may  briefly  allude  to  a  controversy  about 
block  books,  which  sprang  up  around  the 
celebrated  St  Christopher  in  the  Althorp 
Collection,  which  bears  date  1423.  The 
St  Christopher,  which  is  the  earliest  known 
dated  print,  was  discovered  by  Heineken, 
who  shall  tell  the  story  himself.  He  says — 
"  I  found  in  the  Chartreuse  at  Buxheim, 
near  Memmingen,  one  of  the  most  ancient 
convents  in  Germany,  a  print  of  St  Chris- 
topher carrying  the  infant  Jesus  across  the 
c  33 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

sea.  Opposite  to  him  is  a  hermit  holding 
up  his  lantern  to  give  him  light,  and 
behind  is  a  peasant,  seen  in  a  back  view, 
carrying  a  sack  and  climbing  a  steep 
mountain.  This  piece  is  of  folio  size,  and 
coloured  in  the  manner  of  our  playing  cards. 
At  the  foot  of  it  is  this  inscription — 

*  Christoferi  faciem  die  quacunque  tueris 
Ilia  mempe  die  morte  ma  la  non  morieris. 
Millesimo  CCCC0  ii  tercio.'" 

"  At  least  we  know  from  this  piece,  with 
certainty,  that  the  figures  of  saints,  and 
also  letters,  were  engraved  in  1423.  Nor 
can  any  fraud  be  suspected  in  this  instance. 
The  print  is  pasted  within  the  cover  of  an 
old  book  of  the  fifteenth  century.  .  .  . 
Some  one  of  the  ancient  monks  of  the 
convent,  perhaps,  desired  to  preserve  it, 
and  at  that  time  no  one  troubled  himself 
about  the  antiquity  of  engraving,  or  dis- 
puted upon  the  subject."  ■ 

This  remarkable  print,  together  with  an 
equally  remarkable  Annunciation,  is  pasted 
inside  the  cover  of  Laus  Virginius,  a  Latin 
MS.,    dated     141 7,    the    property    of   Earl 

1   Idee  Generate^  p.  250. 
34 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

Spencer.  It  is  reproduced — in  colour  and 
plain — by  Ottley,  and  presents  points  of 
exceptional  interest.  The  features  of  the 
infant  Christ  and  St  Christopher  are  drawn 
by  a  master-hand,  and  the  draping  is  ex- 
cellent, but  the  extremities  are  ill  designed, 
and  the  details  are  singularly  mean.  The 
miniature  mill,  the  rabbit  emerging  from  its 
hole,  and  the  hermit's  hut,  suggest  an 
unpractised  hand  ;  but  the  colouring  evinces 
great  care,  and  has  none  of  the  hasty  daubing 
so  characteristic  of  early  religious  prints. 
The  Annunciation,  which  occupies  the  back 
cover,  is  even  more  beautiful,  and  far  more 
perfect  in  detail.  The  angel  Gabriel  is 
represented  with  wings  spotted  like  the 
peacock  ;  above,  descending  on  rays,  is  the 
sacred  dove,  and  the  face  and  the  draping  of 
the  Virgin  is  all  that  can  be  desired.  But 
although  found  at  Buxheim,  both  are,  in 
my  opinion,  beyond  dispute  Venetian  in 
expression  and  execution.  There  is  not  a 
touch  that  suggests  German  origin,  but  all 
the  beauty  that  belonged  to  the  best  work  of 
the  Venetian  School  is  present.  I  do  not 
believe  that  anyone  looking  at  the  soft  curved 
lines  and  grace  of  pose  can  imagine  for  an 
35 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

instant  that  either  possess  one  indication  of 
German  execution.  Each  of  these  prints  is 
printed  in  black  ink  from  a  press.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  St  Bridget — also  the  property 
of  Earl  Spencer — is  a  fourteenth  or  fifteenth 
century  work,  produced  by  rubbing,  and  is 
Low  Country  or  German  in  its  origin.  In 
this  case  the  figure  is  masterly,  and  the 
draping  is  good,  but  the  perspective  is  dread- 
ful, and  the  hasty  colouring  spoils  the 
appearance  of  what  is  excellent.  The  three 
works  are  typical  of  two  distinct  schools  of 
thought  and  design,  but  in  many  respects 
they  silence  criticism.  With  respect  to  the 
St  Christopher,  Mr  Henry  F.  Holt,  in  1868,1 
advances  the  theory  that  as  this  production 
is  far  in  advance  of  block  books,  these  must 
be  anterior  in  date  to  it.  The  statement  of 
superiority  as  regards  some  of  the  block 
books  is  quite  open  to  question,  but  I  leave 
that  for  a  time  and  pass  to  his  arguments. 
He  laid  stress  upon  the  fact  that  the 
announcement  of  the  date  led  to  the  im- 
mediate discovery  of  another  St  Christopher 
acquired  by  the  Bibliotheque  Royale  de 
Paris,  which,  he  says,  turned    out    to  be  a 

1  Notes  and  Queries,  19th  September  1868. 
36 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

forgery,  produced  by  Von  Miirr ;  to  the 
St  Sebastian,  1437  ;  St  Etienne,  1437  ;  a 
Calvary,  1443  ;  to  the  engraving  of  141 8, 
in  the  Royal  Library  of  Brussels,  and  to  yet 
another  St  Christopher  at  Frankfort,  all  of 
which  were  spurious.  His  argument  was 
that  printing  preceded  engraving,  and  that 
no  copy  of  this  Biblia  Pauperum  existed  prior 
to  1485  ! 

This  reasoning,  of  course,  leads  up  to  the 
argument  he  wished  to  have  believed,  that 
Albrecht  Diirer  was  responsible  for  the  most 
famous  block  books,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  the  Ars  Moriendi  is  believed  to 
have  seen  the  light  in  1450  ;  the  Speculum, 
Humance  Sahationis  and  the  Defensor ium  in 
1470,  while  Diirer  was  born  in  147 1,  and 
was  not  apprenticed  to  Michael  Wohlgemuth 
until  i486. 

To  assume  further  that  the  artist  of  the 
Biblia  Pauperum  was  responsible  also  for  the 
Cantico,  is  to  accept  the  wildly  improbable. 
It  is  possible  to  admit  that  Diirer  was  "  the 
most  accomplished  formschneider  then  in 
existence/'  but  not  to  allow  that  he  could 
exercise  his  art  before  he  was  born. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know,  if,  as 
37 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Mr  Holt  said,  the  figures  1423  on  the 
St  Christopher  do  not  refer  to  the  date  of 
the  engraving  to  which  they  do  refer.  Mr 
Henry  Noel  Humphreys  suggests  in  his 
History  of  the  Art  of  Printing,  that  it  is  not 
an  original  impression,  because  of  the  ink 
employed,  but  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that 
so  famous  an  engraving  should  have  deceived 
the  experts  of  the  world  as  to  the  matter  of 
state,  and  this  may  well  pass. 

In  his  Curiosities  of  Literature,  Disraeli 
brings  us  a  little  nearer  the  truth  with  his 
recital  of  the  origin  of  the  Biblia  Sacra,  or 
Mazarine  Bible,  by  Gutenburg  of  Mayence, 
1454-5.  He  says — "  A  considerable  number 
of  copies  of  the  Bible  were  printed  to  imitate 
MSS.,  and  the  sale  of  them  in  Paris  entrusted 
to  Fust  (or  Faustus)  as  MSS.  Consequent 
on  his  selling  them  at  sixty  crowns  per  copy, 
whilst  the  other  scribes  demanded  five 
hundred,  universal  astonishment  was  created, 
and  still  more  when  he  produced  copies  as 
fast  as  they  were  wanted  and  even  lowered 
his  price.  The  uniformity  of  the  copies 
increased  the  wonder."  Faustus  was  accused 
of  being  in  league  with  the  devil,  and  to 
save  himself  from  extreme  discomfort  he 
38 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

explained  how  the  sheets  were  produced  by 
rubbing  from  wood  blocks,  and  received 
eulogy  and  fame  in  place  of  preliminary 
torture  and  fagots.  The  story  is  very 
old  and  may  not  be  correct  in  every 
particular,  but  it  is  a  good  one,  and  not 
improbable. 

For  my  own  part,  I  am  more  inclined  to 
look  to  the  Netherlands  for  the  origin  of 
block  books  in  Europe,  and  if  I  am  in  error, 
I  err  in  right  good  company.  In  his  Histoire 
de  la  Peinture  en  Flandre,  Michiel  recounts 
how  on  fast  days  the  Lazarists,  who  devoted 
themselves  to  nursing  the  poor,  and  other 
religious  Orders,  carried  through  the  streets 
ornamented  wax  candles,  and  distributed  to 
the  children  "  Helgen,"  and  wood  engrav- 
ings, illuminated  with  brilliant  colours,  and 
representing  sacred  subjects.  At  this  time 
Les  Freres  de  la  Vie  Commune,  whose  chief 
duties  were  to  copy  MSS.  and  disseminate 
scripture  knowledge  by  means  of  books,  had 
a  retreat  to  Groenendael,  and  workshops  at 
Brussels  and  Louvain,  and  Henri  van  der 
Bogaerde  (Pomerius),  author  of  the  Spirit uale 
Pomeriumi  was  canon  and  prior  of  the  Order. 
The  well-known  painter,  Dierick  Bouts,  went 
39 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

into  retreat  at  Groenendael  in  1440,  and 
Renouvier  in  his  Origine,  Berjeau  in  his 
preface  to  the  reproduction  of  the  Speculum, 
and  Harzen  in  Archiv.  fur  die  Zeichnenden 
Kunstey  press  the  claims  of  the  brethren  to 
be  the  pioneers  of  block  printing,  and  the 
balance  of  probability  is  in  favour  of  their 
assumption. 

The  Ars  Memorandi,  one  of  the  most 
ancient  block  books,  has  thirty  leaves  im- 
pressed on  one  side  only  with  MS.  notes, 
and  the  copy  in  the  British  Museum  is 
believed  to  be  the  second  edition,  and  the 
work,  probably,  of  a  Greek  artist.  I  do  not 
find  it  easy  to  agree  with  the  poor  opinion 
passed  by  Ottley  upon  this  book.  He  classes 
it  as  belonging  to  the  inferior  school,  and 
holds  that  whether  it  was  executed  in 
Germany  or  elsewhere,  it  was  probably  the 
rude  manufacture  of  ordinary  card-makers. 
Personally,  I  do  not  think  the  internal  evi- 
dence favours  this  view  ;  not  that  the  Ars 
Memorandi  can  compare  with  even  either  the 
Speculum  Humance  Salvationis  or  the  Cantico 
Canticorum,  but  because  the  intelligence  of 
design  and  the  elaborate  combination  of  refer- 
ence would  seem  rather  to  point  out  that 
40 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

a  deep  thinker,  even  if  an  inexpert  artist,  was 
responsible  for  its  conception  and  production. 

We  now  come  to  a  work  which  is 
superior  to  the  Ars  Memorandi  in  every  way, 
namely,  the  Ars  Moriendi,  or  the  Art  of 
Dying,  attributed  by  Duchesne  to  the  Master 
of  1446/  and  which  is  believed  to  have  been 
produced  in  1450.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Mr  Horn  professed  to  have  had  a 
copy  of  date  prior  to  1430  ;  but,  greatly 
as  I  would  like  to  believe  this,  I  am  com- 
pelled to  abide  by  the  later  period,  because 
only  slender  probability  supports  the  earlier. 
The  Master  of  1446  or  E.  S.  is  ranked  as 
the  first  of  the  systematically  fine  workers  of 
the  Northern  School  of  Engraving.  He  has 
been  claimed  to  have  worked  in  the  Pays 
Bas,  the  Lower  Rhine,  and  Upper  Germany, 
in  Switzerland,  Suabia,  Lorraine  and  Stras- 
burg,  and  has  been  called  indifferently 
Edgidius  Strechlin  or  Strechin,  Engle- 
brechtzen,  Erhard  Schcen  or  Schon,  and  E. 
Stern.  This  matter  has  been  argued  by 
Partsch,  Passavant,  Nagler,  Sotzmann  and 
Wiltshire. 

A  unique  and  complete  copy  of  the  Ars 

1  Voyage  dyun  Iconophile^  p.  364. 
41 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Moriendi  was  acquired  by  the  trustees  of  the 
British  Museum  at  the  Weigel  sale  in  1872, 
for  upwards  of  £1000,  and  this  was  believed 
by  Weigel  to  be  a  first  edition.  It  consists 
of  twelve  separate  sheets,  forming  twenty- 
four  pages,  each  leaf  of  which  is  printed  on 
the  inner  side  only  ;  the  impression  being 
taken  in  pale  brown  ink  by  rubbing.  Two 
marked  peculiarities  are  noticeable.  On  folio 
13  there  is  a  sign  like  to  the  letter  Z,  which 
is  the  only  appreciable  signature  occurring  in 
the  volume,  and  in  the  text  of  folios  14,  16, 
18  and  24,  the  letter  "u"  is  written  "  u." 
A  copy  of  the  Ars  Moriendi  passed  at  the 
Yemeniz  sale,  in  1867,  for  .£382,  and  the 
Editio  Princeps,  belonging  to  the  Corser 
Library,  realised  £415  in  1868. 

The  beautiful  pages  from  the  Ars  Moriendi , 
which,  by  kind  permission  of  the  Director  of 
the  British  Museum,  I  have  reproduced  from 
the  original  copy,  tell  their  own  tale.  In 
the  first,  the  gaze  of  the  dead  man  has  been 
fixed  to  the  last  upon  the  presentment  of  our 
Crucified  Lord.  A  priest  places  in  his  hand 
the  sacred  taper  ;  angels  are  depicted  lifting 
his  soul  to  paradise,  and  expectant  demons 

are  fleeing,  howling  with  rage  and  mortifica- 
42 


' 


■ 


"T,l 


ife 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

tion.  The  reverse  is  shown  in  the  com- 
panion picture,  where  a  veritable  devil's 
dance  of  death  is  taking  place  around  the 
couch  whereon  lies  the  mortal  remains 
of  a  lost  soul. 

Another  important  block  book,  believed  to 
have  been  published  in  1470,  or  the  year 
before  Albrecht  Durer  was  born,  is  the 
Defensorium,  which  consists  of  sixteen  leaves, 
printed  on  one  side  only,  the  first  two  leaves 
being  divided  into  two  columns,  containing 
representations  of  St  Ambrose,  St  Augustine, 
St  Jerome,  and  Pope  Gregory  the  Great. 
Some  slight  clue  to  the  authorship  is  obtained 
by  the  initials  F.  W.  in  col.  20,  which  are 
believed  to  indicate  the  name  of  Friedrich 
Walther  of  Nordlingen,  an  engraver  of  some 
repute,  while  the  date  is  given  thus  1470. 
It  would  be  pleasing,  indeed,  if  anyone  could 
point  with  certainty  to  the  producers  of 
these  volumes,  but  one  thing  appears  to  be 
certain,  and  that  is,  that  Durer  did  not 
do  so. 

Better  known,   perhaps,   than  the  Defen- 

sorium  is  the  Speculum  Humance  Salvationist  a 

rare  volume,  supposed  to  date  from   1470, 

and    which    consists    of    sixty-three    leaves, 

43 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

printed  on  the  rectos  only,  partly  from 
wooden  blocks  and  partly  from  movable 
types.  A  portrait  of  L.  Coster  has  been 
added  to  the  flyleaf,  but  this,  to  me,  appears 
no  more  remarkable  than  do  the  occasional 
movable  types,  since  it  is  simple  and  usual 
for  a  wood  engraver  to  repair  an  error  by 
cutting  out  the  blemish,  be  it  a  letter  or 
otherwise,  and  to  insert  a  re-engraved  wedge 
rather  than  to  re-cut  the  whole  block.  The 
British  Museum  copy  lacks  plate  XV.,  but 
even  Lord  Spencer's  copy,  which  at  the 
Morly  sale  was  sold  for  300  guineas,  has 
the  last  two  plates  imperfect.  This  copy  is 
uncoloured. 

Another  beautiful  block  book,  which  has 
occasioned  a  wonderful  diversity  of  opinion 
among  experts,  is  the  Historia  Sen  Providentia 
Virginis  Marine,  ex  Cantico  Canticorum^ 
being  the  history  or  prefiguration  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary  from  the  Song  of 
Songs,  a  small  folio  of  sixteen  leaves,  printed 
on  one  side  only,  in  dark  brown  ink,  by 
means  of  friction,  and  which  has  two  subjects 
to  each  page.  The  pages  are  interspersed 
with  texts  and  scrolls,  which  caused  Heineken 
to  call  it  "  the  most  Gothic  of  all  the  block 
44 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

books/'  an  opinion  which  I,  for  one,  do  not 
share.  In  his  Idee  GinSrale,  Heineken 
suggests  that  there  were  two  editions,  from 
which  Jackson  (Chatto)  entirely  dissents, 
since  the  designs  are  the  same  ;  and  Ottley 
puts  forward  the  amusing  contention  that 
the  engravers  must  have  been  learned  men 
who  were  well  acquainted  with  Latin,  or 
they  could  not  have  produced  the  Cantico  ! 
This  reasoning  is  too  feeble  to  demand  reply, 
since  an  expert  engraver  could  as  easily 
engrave  Latin  words  as  those  in  any  other 
language,  in  the  same  way  that  a  good 
compositor  can  set  type,  even  though  he 
be  unacquainted  with  the  meaning  that  the 
sentences  convey.  According  to  Heineken, 
the  Haarlem  copy  has  an  inscription  at  the 
top  of  the  first  cut — "  en  langue  Flamande, 
on  plutot  en  Plat  Alemand."  ■  To  my  mind 
the  prefix  so  often  quoted — u  This  is  the 
prefiguration  of  Mary  the  Mother  of  God, 
and  is  in  Latin  named  the  Canticles,' '  appears 
to  be  a  clumsy  attempt  to  bolster  up  the 
claims  of  Coster,  since  the  earliest  block 
books  were  without  titles. 

Dr  Dibdin,  in  the  Bibliotheca  Spenceriana, 

1  Inquiry,  p.  1 40. 
45 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

says  that  the  work  was  i(  the  production  of 
some  metallic  substance  and  not  struck  off 
from  wooden  blocks,"  J  where  I  think  he  was 
wrong  ;  but  he  is  good  enough  to  add  that 
"  it  is,  upon  the  whole,  very  greatly  superior 
to  the  generality  of  books  of  this  description.,, 
Jackson  opines  that  the  Cantico  was  the  pro- 
duction of  an  artist  residing  either  in  Suabia 
or  Alsace,2  and  points  to  the  striking  simi- 
larity of  the  work  of  Martin  Schon,  who 
died  in  i486,  to  that  appearing  in  the  volume. 
Heineken  and  Von  Mlirr  concur  in  a  sense, 
but  each  suggests  that  while  Schon  copied 
from  the  Cantico,  the  original  artist  copied 
from  German  sculptures  in  the  churches  of 
the  fatherland.  I  do  not  think  that  the 
armorial  bearings  which  appear  on  the  shields 
are  much  help  in  determining  origin  ;  for 
while  some  undoubtedly  are  German,  others 
are  difficult  to  locate,  and  there  was  not  such 
cohesion  among  the  differing  States  as  should 
suggest  that  the  arms  were  grouped  as  they 
are  for  patriotic  reasons.  Like  the  Biblia 
Pauperum  and  the  Speculum  Humane  Sal- 
vationist   the    Cantico    Canttcorum    was    pub- 

1  Bib/iotheca  Spenceriana,  vol.  i.  p.  36. 

2  Treatise,  p.  74. 

46 


BLOCK  BOOKS 

lished  without  the  name  of  artist,  engraver, 
publisher,  printer,  place  or  date,  and  though 
we  may  surmise  the  time  of  issue,  and  specu- 
late upon  the  probable  place  of  production, 
which  seems  likely  to  have  been  situate  in 
Germany,  still  no  one  can  speak  with  certainty 
however  much  they  may  long  to  do  so. 

While  dealing  with  these  important  books, 
I  can  hardly  do  better  than  quote  an  excellent 
extract  from  Le  Bibliomane,  of  July  1861, 
which  has  direct  bearing  upon  the  subject. 
Writing  in  relation  to  a  Book  of  Hours,  it 
is  there  stated — 

"The  non-illuminated  prints  afford  proof,  if  it 
were  necessary,  that  all  the  miniatures  of  similar 
works  are  superimposed  on  woodcuts  of  simple 
outline.  The  illuminator  has  preserved  the 
principal  contours  without  servilely  following  the 
work  of  the  engraver.  It  clearly  results  from  this 
application  in  miniature  to  engraving  in  simple 
outline  that  the  Livres  Xylographiques  were,  with- 
out exception,  intended  to  pass  through  the  hands 
of  the  illuminator  on  emerging  from  those  of  the 
printer,  and  that  such  copies  as  remain  to  us 
disfigured  by  flat  tints  were  so  prepared  simply  to 
receive  the  bright  and  brilliant  colours  entitling 
them  to  a  place  beside  the  richest  manuscripts. 
The  Figures  du  Vieil  Testa?nent  et  du  Nouvel,  printed 
47 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

by  Verard,  circa  1500,  in  folio,  upon  vellum,  and 
of  which  the  British  Museum  possesses  the  only 
known  copy,  formerly  in  the  library  of  Henry  VII., 
belongs  to  the  most  splendid  examples  of  this 
illumination  of  engravings  in  which  the  painter 
perfectionates,  according  to  his  taste,  the  almost 
formless  work  of  the  engraver." 


48 


■O'y^n 


/^. 


THE     INFANT    CHRIST    AND     THE     FLOWER. 
("E.  S."  the  Master  of  1466). 


CHAPTER  IV 


EARLY  MASTERS:  "  E.S."  AND  ALBRECHT  DURER 


There  is  a  great  temptation  to  linger  longer 

among  the  block  books  which  give  so  much 

pleasure  and  occasion  so  much  speculation, 

yet  it  is  necessary  to  pass  on  if  one  would 

attempt,  however  briefly,  to  grapple  with  the 

large  subject  of  the  History  of  Engraving  ; 

and    one's   thoughts   naturally   turn    to   the 

earliest    engravings    of    which    we    possess 

authentic  record.      For  a  long  time  it  was 

supposed  that  the  Master  of  1466,  or  "  E.S.," 

the  suggested   author  of  the  Ars  Moriendi, 

was    the    earliest    known    engraver,    but   we 

have  since  recognised  the  unknown  Master 

of  1446,  the  engraver  of  a   very  beautiful 

Passion;  the  Master  of  1451,  whose  dated 

work,  The  Immaculata,  is  fully  described  by 

Weigel ;   the  Master  of  1457,  examples  of 

whose  work  are  to  be  found  in  the  British 

Museum  and  at  Dantzig,  and  the  Master  of 

1464,  or  the  cc  Master  of  the.  Banderoles. " 
d  49 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

This  latter  title  was  given  to  him  because 
of  his  habit  of  introducing  scrolls  into  his 
compositions,  and  he  was  also,  at  times, 
called  the  "  Master  of  the  Feathered  Flesh," 
because  of  the  peculiar  strokes  to  which  he 
was  addicted,  and  which  gave  an  appearance 
somewhat  similar  to  feathers.  Unfortunately, 
we  know  practically  nothing  of  the  person- 
ality of  these  Masters,  and  speculation  about 
them  still  reigns  supreme.  I  cannot,  how- 
ever, pass  a  rather  amusing  criticism  without 
comment.  Alluding  to  the  undoubted  fact 
that  the  Master  of  1464  was  a  man  of  ex- 
tensive knowledge,  Sotzmann  contends,  and 
Willshire  agrees,  that  he  was  a  monk,  and 
associates  him  with  the  Freres  de  la  Vie 
Commune  ;  whereupon  Passavant  opposed, 
urging  that  the  licentious  details  of  some  of 
his  pieces  forbid  this  theory,  unless  they  were 
engraved  before  he  professed  religion  !  Such 
an  argument  reads  well  at  the  present  day  ; 
and  yet  it  seems  incredible  that  an  opinion 
of  the  kind  should  be  held  by  anyone 
possessing  a  knowledge  of  mediaeval  art. 
In  the  first  place,  a  monk  was  not  necessarily 
a  priest ;    in  the  second,   I  could  point  to 

places,  even  in  this  country,  where  exquisite 
50 


EARLY  MASTERS 

work,  as  far  as  art  goes,  and  admittedly  done 
by  brethren  of  monastic  Orders,  is  religiously 
concealed  from  general  view  because  of  the 
licentiousness  of  detail.  I  do  not  think, 
therefore,  that  Passavant's  contention  is 
worth  serious  consideration,  while  there  are 
many  reasons  why  Sotzmann's  view  should 
be  accepted.  The  Master  of  1466  has, 
however,  a  more  defined  position  than  any 
of  the  foregoing,  even  if  his  identity  is 
obscure,  and  he  is  immensely  superior  in 
excellence  of  technique.  Passavant  wrote  of 
him  : — 

"In  the  management  of  the  burin  he  still  shews 
considerable  analogy  with  the  archaic  method  of 
the  Master  of  1464,  but  his  hatchings  in  the  flesh 
are  more  regular  and  delicate,  and  in  the  manner 
of  treating  the  shadows  of  his  draperies  he  widely 
differs  from  him.  His  drawing — which  is  delicate 
in  the  contours — and  style  of  composition  incline 
to  the  opinion  that  he  was  a  pupil  of  the  school  of 
Van  Eyck  ;  and  this  seems  the  more  probable  as 
we  note  that  the  chief  motive  in  one  of  his  pieces 
representing  the  Sibyl  with  the  Emperor  Augustus, 
is  borrowed  from  a  picture  by  Roger  van  der  Weyden 
the  Elder.  The  composition  of  the  Trinity  is 
likewise  treated  in  the  style  of  the  same  school. 
Nevertheless,  he  has  some  peculiarities  of  drawing 
which  depart  from  this  style,  which  are  to  be  seen 
Si 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

particularly  in  such  prints  as  bear  his  mark,  and  in 
which  we  find  the  nose  on  his  faces  of  women  and 
young  people  to  be  long,  thin,  and  slightly  rounded 
at  the  base.  As  to  his  management  of  the  burin, 
it  does  not  in  the  least  resemble  that  in  the  much 
more  developed  technic  of  the  Netherlands  en- 
graver, known  as  the  Master  of  1480."  * 

Ottley  makes  particular  mention  of  his 
hatchings  in  masses  of  shadow,  which  are 
laid  so  closely  together  (i  as  often  to  produce 
the  strength  required  without  the  necessity 
of  crossing  them  by  other  strokes,  and, 
although  he  sometimes  adopts  cross-hatching, 
he  seldom  or  never  permits  them  to  cross 
the  former  range  of  strokes  rectangularly. " 
Commenting  upon  the  beauty  of  technique 
in  many  pieces,  Willshire  waxes  enthusiastic, 
and  maintains  that  there  is  u  in  fact  evidence 
of  such  surety  of  procedure  and  such  excel- 
lence of  result  that  no  one  could  for  a  moment 
suppose  that  these  engravings  were  tentative 
specimens  in  a  new  process.  From  inspec- 
tion of  them  one  feels  satisfied  that  engraving 
on  metal  must  have  been  practised  for  some 
time  before  such  results  could  have  been 
produced."     That  it  was  practised  before  is 

1  Passavant,  Le  Pe'wtre-Graveur,  vol.  ii.  p.  33. 
52 


EARLY  MASTERS 

now  known,  and  that  the  Master  of  1466 
engraved  in  1461  is  proved  by  a  set  of 
playing  cards  engraved  by  him,  having  the 
portrait  of  Charles  VII.,  King  of  France, 
who  died  that  year,  as  King  of  Shields. 
Passavant  rightly  concludes  that  these  cards 
must  have  been  cut  before  the  demise  of 
that  monarch,  or  the  picture  of  his  successor, 
Louis  XL,  would  have  been  chosen  instead. 
Again,  if  as  Duchesne  believes,  the  Master 
of  1466  was  responsible  for  the  Ars  Moriendiy 
presumably  published  in  1450,  there  is 
nothing  surprising  at  his  being  accomplished 
in  his  art  sixteen  years  later.  Ottley  says 
of  this  Master — 

"  The  engravings  of  this  ancient  artist  are  exe- 
cuted with  great  delicacy  of  burin,  in  a  manner 
peculiarly  his  own.  In  his  draperies,  as  well  as  in 
the  naked  parts  of  his  figures,  he  often  employs 
dots  or  very  short  touches  of  the  graver  .... 
His  style  of  design  nearly  resembles  that  of  Israel 
van  Meek  (or  Meckenen)  and  Francis  van  Bocholt  : 
the  former  of  those  artists,  indeed,  copies  several 
of  his  prints." 

As  an  example  of  the  work  of  the  Master 
I  give  one  beautiful  study,  The  Infant 
Christ   on   a   Flower,    which    is    a   copy    by 

53 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Israel  van  Meckenen.  The  study  repre- 
sents the  infant  Christ  standing  on  the 
centre  of  an  opening  tulip  or  lily,  with  the 
inscription,  "  Ein  guot  selig  jor."  Weigel 
regarded  this  as  a  design  for  a  New  Year's 
card  of  greeting,  the  opening  flower  being 
symbolical  of  the  opening  year.  It  should 
be  noted  that  the  date,  148 1,  has  been  written 
in  by  some  late  possessor,  and  does  not  repre- 
sent the  time  of  production.  Another  well- 
known  example  of  this  Master's  work  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  British  Museum,  and 
is  called  by  Willshire,  "  The  Arms  of 
Christ,"  and  by  Ottley,  "  An  escutcheon 
bearing  the  instruments  of  the  Passion." 
The  escutcheon  is  surmounted  by  a  helmet 
encircled  with  the  crown  of  thorns,  the 
crest  being  a  hand  of  the  Saviour,  bear- 
ing the  impress  of  the  nail.  The  shield 
is  supported  by  the  Agnus  Dei  and  the 
symbols  of  the  four  Evangelists,  and  the 
figures  of  Christ  and  of  the  Madonna  are 
also  represented,  while  half  figures,  holding 
scrolls,  appear  right  and  left.  It  is  a  fine  com- 
position, and  in  days  when  heraldry  was  in 
the  ascendant  was  doubtless  regarded,  as  it  was 
conceived,  as  an  act  of  reverential  homage. 
54 


EARLY  MASTERS 

From  the  works  of  the  Master  of  1466 
I  pass  to  those  of  Albrecht  Dtirer,  whose 
genius,  both  as  a  wood  engraver,  as  an 
engraver  on  metal,  and  as  a  monarch  of  style, 
have  caused  him  to  be  ranked  above  all  his 
compeers.  Willshire  describes  him  as  facile 
princeps,  "  whether  the  feeling,  poetry  and 
romance  of  his  designs,  the  dexterous 
management  of  the  burin  or  the  exquisite 
finish  of  his  engravings  be  considered.  Like 
Rembrandt  he  is  a  master  of  whom  the 
iconophilist  never  tires,  and  of  whose  works 
he  desires  to  possess  every  example  he  can 
obtain. "  Albrecht  Diirer,  although  born  in 
Nuremberg,  was  descended  from  a  noble 
Hungarian  family,  who  had  fallen  upon  evil 
days,  whose  name  originally  was  Ajtos,  and 
they  resided  for  generations  at  a  village  also 
called  Ajtos  near  Gzula.  The  name,  derived 
from  Aito  (a  door),  signifies  the  same  as  the 
German  Thiirer,  or  Diirer,  and  Albrecht 
Diirer  bore  the  same  arms  as  his  predecessors 
of  Ajtos.  His  father  left  the  village,  and 
presumably  adopted  the  German  spelling  of 
his  name,  and  finally  settled  as  a  goldsmith 
at  Nuremberg,  marrying  Barbara  Helper  in 
1467,  of  whom  Albrecht  Dure-  was  the  third 
55 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

son.  He  was  born  21st  May  1471,  and  he 
tells  us  in  his  own  biography  that,  when 
he  had  learned  to  read  and  write,  his  father 
took  him  from  school  and  taught  him  the 
work  of  a  goldsmith.  Painting  was,  however, 
his  ambition,  and  his  father,  yielding  to 
his  wishes,  bound  him  apprentice  in  i486 
to  Michel  Wohlgemuth,  the  most  famous 
Master  of  his  day,  who  not  only  painted, 
but  carved  altarpieces  and  church  furniture, 
and  it  is  alleged  engraved  also,  though  this 
is  doubtful.  We  see  at  once  the  immense 
advantage  which  a  lad  with  all  the  instinct  of 
art  ripening  in  him  immediately  possessed. 
From  his  father  he  would  doubtless  learn  the 
art  of  decorative  graving  on  metal  ;  from 
Wohlgemuth  that  of  delicate  carving  in 
wood,  as  well  as  the  technique  of  the 
painter's  art.  I  am  not  writing  a  biography, 
or  I  might  enlarge  on  Diirer's  career  ;  but 
the  portions  that  I  have  quoted  appear  to 
me  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  give  insight 
into  his  extraordinary  power,  whether  work- 
ing in  wood  or  in  metal.  At  the  close  of 
his  apprenticeship  he  roamed  about  the 
Continent,  and  after  four  years'  wandering, 

returned,    married,    and    settled    in  Nurem- 
56 


EARLY  MASTERS 

berg  in  1494.  About  1504  he  produced 
the  magnificent  Adam  and  Eve,  The 
Prodigal  Son,  and  the  beautiful  series  of 
wood  engravings  illustrating  the  Apocalypse. 
Diirer  needs  no  extravagant  laudation  to 
emphasise  his  work  ;  it  speaks  for  itself,  but 
some  comment  of  authorities  is  wise,  as  help- 
ing others,  perhaps,  to  strike  a  more  moderate 
medium  and  ensure  a  truer  estimate  of  his 
genius.  Ltlbke  says  of  him — "  In  creative 
richness  of  fancy,  in  extensive  power  of 
thought,  and  in  moral  energy  and  earnest 
striving,  Diirer  must  be  called  the  first  of  all 
German  Masters,  and  as  regards  artistic  gifts 
need  fear  no  comparison  with  any  Master 
in  the  world,  not  even  with  Raphael  and 
Michael  Angelo."  Greatly  as  I  admire  the 
work  of  the  Hungarian  engraver,  I  am  not 
prepared  to  go  quite  so  far  ;  rather,  I  think 
the  masterly  summary  of  M.  Charles  Blanc  " 
more  aptly  fits  the  situation.     He  writes — 

"Albrecht  Diirer  had  understood  how  by  a 
variety  of  methods  of  work  to  imitate  multi- 
formity in  objects  ;  Lucas  Van  Leyden  had  shewn 
how  to  preserve  aerial  perspective  ;  Marc  Antonio 
had  indicated  the  means  by  which  the  suppleness 

1  Gram  aire  des  Arts  du  Dessein,  1867. 
57 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

of  the  graving  tool  should  subserve  the  triumph  of 
the  drawing  ;  the  pupils  of  Rubens  proceeded  to 
shew  in  what  manner  the  effects  of  a  painting 
might  be  produced,  i.e.,  its  coloration  by  light. 
Thus  the  engraver  became  armed  at  all  points,  as 
in  translating  the  hues  of  Rubens  the  most  diverse 
methods  of  incising  the  copper  had  been  dis- 
covered. Drapery,  flesh,  hair,  landscape,  archi- 
tecture, sculpture,  every  object  in  fact  which  can 
enter  into  the  composition  of  a  picture,  is  capable 
of  being  characterised  with  the  point  of  the  burin." 


58 


Sip 


THE     PRODIGAL     SON. 
Albrecht  Diirer. 


CHAPTER    V 

HANS    HOLBEIN    THE    YOUNGER 

Next  to  Albrecht  Diirer,  the  leading  master 
of  the  Early  Northern  School  is  probably 
Hans  Holbein  the  younger,  son  of  Hans 
Holbein  the  elder,  the  well-known  portrait 
painter  of  Augsburg,  who  was  Court  painter 
to  our  King  Henry  VIII.,  and  whose 
Dance  of  Death  and  Bible  Pictures  are 
so  well  known  and  so  keenly  appreciated, 
that  it  is  almost  superfluous  to  speak  of  his 
skill  as  an  engraver  or  of  his  ability  as  an 
artist.  He  studied  under  his  father,  and 
was  born  at  Augsburg,  somewhere  about  the 
year  1500.  I  give  this  date  vaguely  ;  for 
whereas  Nagler  says  that  he  was  born  in 
1499,  Bryan  makes  it  1497,  and  Willshire 
1496,  while  others  state  that  it  was  so  late 
in  1499  that  practically  the  birth  took  place 
in  1500.  The  exact  date  is  not  important ; 
we  know  and  have  his  work  among  us,  and 
one  or  two  years  in  the  child-life  of  a  master 
59 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

is  not  an  affair  that  is  worthy  any  great 
speculation  or  research.  There  is  little 
recorded  of  the  early  life  of  Holbein,  but 
we  know  that,  in  151 5,  he  and  his  brother 
Ambrosius  went  to  the  University  of  Basle, 
where  young  Holbein  employed  himself 
by  designing  title-pages  and  initial  letters 
for  printers  at  Basle  and  Zurich.  Later  on, 
he  took  to  mural  painting,  fresco  work  and 
portraits,  and  to  the  production  of  sacred 
paintings,  of  which  the  Meyer  Madonna 
and  the  Solothurn  Madonna  are  among 
the  best  known.  His  connection  with 
England  arose  through  his  friendship  with 
Erasmus,  whose  portrait  he  painted,  and  it 
is  to  this  happy  circumstance  that  we  owe 
the  prints  in  Cranmer's  Catechism  and  the 
titles  of  Tyndale's  and  Coverdale's  Bibles. 
A  first  point  which  naturally  strikes  the 
student  is,  did  Holbein  engrave  the  wonder- 
fully beautiful  work,  which  sometimes  sur- 
passes that  of  Diirer,  or  did  he  solely  design 
it  ?  And  this  question  is  hard  to  answer, 
since  upon  it  some  of  the  best  authorities 
are  agreed  to  differ.  I  certainly  cannot  agree 
with  the  definiteness  that  characterises  some 

writers  on  this  subject.     Thus,  Bryan  says — 
60 


HANS  HOLBEIN  THE  YOUNGER 

"  The  greatest  of  his  works  of  this  kind  is 
the  Dance  of  Death,  preserved  to  us  in  the 
engraving  of  Liitzelburger."     This,  in    my 
opinion,   is    far    too    sweeping    a   statement. 
There  is   no  doubt    that   Liitzelburger   did 
engrave  many  of  Holbein's  pictures,  yet  it  is 
equally  certain  that  many  of  his  compositions 
were  engraved  by  his  own  hand.     Wiltshire, 
speaking  of  a  total  of  3 1 5  pieces,  and  perhaps 
20  alphabets,  says — "  For  all  these  the  artist, 
during    his    residence    either    in   Germany, 
Switzerland  or  England,  made  the  drawings, 
and,  in  the   majority   of  instances,   directly 
over  the  blocks.''     This  takes  us  a  step  on 
the    road,    but    leaves    the   question  of  the 
graving,    which    is    exceptionally    fine,    still 
undisposed  of.     Weigel  strongly  inclines  to 
the  view  that  the  blocks  were  actually  en- 
graved by  Holbein  ;  Woltmann  is  in  favour 
of  Hans  Liitzelburger,  while  Mr  Wornum 
thinks  the  evidence  is  not  conclusive.     It  is 
worth  while  remembering  that  two  distinct 
series  of  these  remarkable  cuts  are  believed 
to  exist,  and  that  although  "  these  master- 
pieces of  wood   engraving,"    as  Mr  Chatto 
terms  them,   have   been    frequently   copied, 

the  attempts  have  never  attained  the  beauty 
61 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

of  the  originals.  Woltmann  holds  that 
Holbein's  name  in  connection  with  this  work 
was  intentionally  suppressed,  because  of  its 
satirical  character,  its  caricature  of  living 
persons  and  the  religious  movements  of 
the  times  —  a  very  sensible  and  practical 
view  to  take  ;  but  the  argument  cuts  both 
ways,  for  if  it  was  necessary  to  publish 
the  book  beneath  the  shelter  of  anonymity, 
the  probability  is  that  Holbein  was  the 
engraver,  and  not  Liitzelburger.  At  the 
same  time,  I  think  the  initials  on  the  Duchess 
strongly  support  the  claim  of  the  latter 
artist  to  the  production  of  that  particular 
block. 

Leaving  the  Holbein  controversy  for  a 
moment,  J  come  now  to  his  connection  with 
England,  which  is  of  infinite  interest  to 
those  who  are  especially  concerned  in  the 
rise  and  progress  of  British  art.  As  I  have 
said,  it  was  through  Erasmus  that  Holbein 
received  an  invitation  from  Henry  VIII.  to 
visit  the  British  Court,  and  in  the  autumn  of 
1526  he  set  out  from  Basle,  travelling  some- 
thing after  the  fashion  of  Oliver  Goldsmith, 
on   foot,    and    proceeded    to  Antwerp,   via 

Frankfort,  at  which  place  he  met  Quentyn 
62 


HANS  HOLBEIN  THE  YOUNGER 

Matsys,  who  was  a  friend  of  Erasmus.  He 
left  many  tracings  of  his  wanderings  at 
places  which  he  visited,  notably  at  Frank- 
fort, and  ultimately  arrived  in  London, 
where  he  was  received  and  hospitably  enter- 
tained by  Sir  Thomas  More.  His  first 
work  here  was  to  produce  portraits  of  his 
host  and  friends,  but  some  eighty-seven 
portraits  in  coloured  chalks  on  tinted 
paper,  which  are  at  Windsor,  and  which  were 
engraved  by  Bartolozzi,  and  published  by 
Chamberlaine  in  1792,  sufficiently  testify 
to  his  capability  for  work.  Three  years  later, 
a  fit  of  home-sickness  seized  him,  and  he 
revisited  Basle,  only  to  return  to  London, 
where,  after  a  few  years,  he  was  created 
Court  painter  to  King  Henry  VIII.,  and 
became  high  in  favour  with  that  monarch 
and  with  the  leading  families  of  England, 
receiving  from  them  a  large  number  of  com- 
missions. Prior,  however,  to  receiving  the 
Court  appointment,  he  resided  with  some 
German  merchants  at  the  Steelyard,  in 
Thames  Street,  and  some  portraits  in  the 
galleries  of  Berlin  and  Brunswick  were  the 
outcome  of  his  stay  in  that  locality.  His 
last  known  work  was  a  portrait  of  himself, 
63 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

painted  in   1543,  in  which  year  he  died  in 
London. 

Naturally  I  am  less  concerned  with 
Holbein  the  painter  than  with  Holbein 
the  engraver,  whose  iC  admirable  designs, 
engraved  with  incredible  delicacy  in  wood/' 
as  Ottley  rightly  calls  them,  have  excited  so 
much  admiration  and  evoked  so  much  con- 
troversy, and  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  refer 
to  the  very  excellent  work  on  this  subject  by 
Mr  Douce.  This  gentleman,  dealing  with 
The  Dance  of  Death,  points  out  that 
pictures  and  carvings  of  this  subject  are  by 
no  means  rare,  but  are  to  be  found  in  many 
churches,  including  our  own  cathedral  of 
Salisbury  and  the  church  at  Hexham.  It  is 
clear  that  Holbein  did  not  invent  the  subjects 
he  so  admirably  portrayed,  but  Mr  Douce 
adds — ((  Certain  it  is,  however,  that  Holbein 
did  paint  a  Death's  Dance  in  its  improved 
state,  and  likewise  more  than  once."  Bishop 
Burnet,  in  his  travels  in  Switzerland,  speaks 
of  a  Dance  of  Death,  painted  by  Holbein, 
on  the  walls  of  a  house  where  he  used  to 
drink,  which  was  then  so  defaced  that  little 
was  to  be  seen  except  shapes  and  postures. 
He  then  mentions  the  old  Death's  Dance 
64 


HANS  HOLBEIN  THE  YOUNGER 

at  the  Dominican  Convent,  which  he  says 
"  was  so  worn  out  some  time  ago  that  they 
ordered  the  best  painter  they  had  to  lay  new 
colours  on  it ;  but  this  is  so  ill  done  that 
one  had  rather  see  the  dead  shadows  of 
Holbein's  pencil  (i.e.,  on  the  walls  of  the 
house)  than  this  coarse  work.,,  Mr 
Douce  then  goes  on  to  remark — "But  it 
has  not  only  been  asserted  that  Holbein 
designed,  but  that  he  engraved,  or  rather  cut 
this  Dance  of  Death  on  wood.  That  he 
practised  this  art,  nay,  that  he  excelled  in  it, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  from  some  speci- 
mens that  have  been  preserved,  and  which 
bear  on  them  the  unequivocal  marks  of 
H.H.  and  Hans  Holbein."  Precisely  ;  but 
Mr  Douce  at  once  proceeds  to  knock  down 
the  house  which  he  has  built,  by  suggesting 
that  Holbein  might  only  have  intended  to 
convey  that  he  designed  the  subject  but  did 
not  cut  the  blocks.  In  the  same  way  it  can 
be  argued,  as  has  been  done  by  Professor 
Christ,  that  the  monogram  H.  on  many  of 
Holbein's  undoubted  designs,  stands  for 
Hans  Lantensack  or  Hans  Lederer,  and  not 
for  Hans  Liitzelburger.  Of  course,  they 
might  do  so  if  either  of  the  two  former  were 

E  65 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

known  to  have  executed  such  exquisite  work, 
but  unfortunately  this  is  not  the  case.  The 
balance  of  probability  is  that  Holbein  did 
draw.-directly  on  to  the  wood,  and  that  he 
and  Lutzelburger  are  responsible  for  the 
actual  cutting. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Holbein 
painted  a  Dance  of  Death  in  fresco  upon 
the  walls  of  the  palace  at  Whitehall,  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1697,  and  this  is 
proved  by  a  set  of  etchings  by  NieuhofF, 
entitled  f(  Imagines  Mortis,  or  the  Dead 
Dance  of  Hans  Holbeyn,  Painter  of  King 
Henry  VIII.,"  which  is  prefaced  by  a  dedica- 
tion saying  that  the  author  had  followed  as 
nearly  as  possible  the  originals  which  were 
painted  ff  as  large  as  life  in  fresco  on  the 
walls  of  Whitehall,"  by  Holbein.  Sandrart 
records  that  when  Paul  Rubens  was  at 
Utrecht  in  1627,  he  placed  greatest  en- 
comiums upon  Holbein's  cuts,  saying  that 
he  had  copied  them,  and  advising  Sandrart 
to  set  the  highest  value  upon  them. 

The  portrait  of  Bishop  Fisher  is  in  black 

chalk    on    pink    paper,    strengthened    with 

pen  and   ink,  and    is    from   the   Richardson 

and    Cracherode    Collection.       The    Design 
66 


HANS  HOLBEIN  THE  YOUNGER 

for  a  Block,  from  the  Mariette  and  Horace 
Walpole  Collection,  is  in  pen  and  ink  with 
India  ink-wash.  Below  a  plinth  are  two 
terminal  figures  of  satyrs  ;  above  is  an  hour- 
glass, enclosed  in  a  case,  of  which  the  doors 
stand  open,  and  surmounting  this  is  a  dial 
plate,  the  whole  being  intended  as  a  working 
drawing  for  a  clockmaker.  Underneath, 
in  the  handwriting  of  Sir  Anthony  Denny, 
is  inscribed — "  Strena  facta  pro  Anthony  deny 
camerario  regio  quod  in  initio  novi  anni  1544 
regi  dedit,"  i.e.,  "New  Year's  gift,  made 
for  Anthony  Denny,  Chamberlain  to  the 
King,  and  by  him  given  to  the  King,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  New  Year,  1544." 

John  Lydgate,  monk  of  Bury,  in  his  Dance 
of  Machabree,  taken  from  the  Dance  of 
Death  at  St  Innocents',  Paris,  writes  in 
his  prologue  the  following,  giving  the  motive 
of  these  pictures  : — 
"  O,  ye  folks,  hard-hearted  as  a  stone, 

Which  to  the  world  have  all  your  advertence, 

Little  as  it  should  ever  lasten  in  one, 

Where  is  your  wit,  where  is  your  Providence  ? 

To  seen  aforne  the  sodayn  violence 

Of  cruel  Death,  that  be  so  wise  and  sas;e% 

Which  slayeth,  alas  !  by  stroke  or  pestilence 
Both  young  and  old,  of  low  and  high  parage." 
67 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Stowe  tells  us  that  the  walls  of  the  cloister 
at  the  North  side  of  St  Paul's  Cathedral, 
which  compassed  a  plot  of  ground  known  as 
Pardon  Churchyard,  were  enriched  by  the 
Dance  of  Machabray,  a  dance  of  death, 
commonly  called  the  "  Dance  of  Paul's," 
Cf  the  like  whereof  was  painted  about  St 
Innocents'  cloister  at  Paris;"  but  this  is 
hardly  correct,  for  the  painting  at  St  Paul's 
had  only  thirty-five  characters,  and  the  other 
seventy-six.  In  that  admirable  work  re- 
lating to  Hollar's  engravings  after  Holbein, 
it  is  pointed  out  that  John  Lydgate,  who 
translated  the  metre  from  the  French,  not 
only  omitted  several  characters,  but  supplied 
their  places  with  others  ;  so  that  if  the  lines 
he  wrote  were  inscribed  under  the  painting 
at  St  Paul's,  it  must  have  differed  greatly 
from  that  at  St  Innocents'  at  Paris.  The 
work  was  done  by  Lydgate  at  the  expense 
of  Jenken  Carpenter,  who  was  the  Town 
Clerk  of  London  in  1430  and  executor  of 
Sir  Richard  Whittington.  Lydgate  did  not 
profess  to  give  a  literal  translation  of  the 
French,  since  he  writes — 

"  Out  of  the  French  I  drough  it  of  intent, 

Not  word  by  word,  but  following  in  substance," 
68 


HANS  HOLBEIN  THE  YOUNGER 

and  Mr  Wharton  stated  that  the  task  was 
undertaken  by  him,  at  the  request  of  the 
Chapter  of  St  Paul's,  to  be  inscribed  under 
the  painting  in  the  cloister.  It  is  therefore 
a  moot  question  whether  Lydgate  or  the 
artist  was  responsible  for  the  points  of 
difference. 

Fragments  of  a  Death's  Dance  are  to  be 
seen  yet  in  Salisbury  Cathdral,  at  Hexham 
Church,  Northumberland,  and  also  at  Berlin, 
Klingenthal,  Fechamp,  Dresden,  Annaberg, 
Leipzig,  Lubeck  and  Berne.  Macaber  was 
a  German  poet  who  composed  verses  re- 
lating to  the  subject  which  Fabricius  thinks 
are  more  ancient  than  the  paintings,  although 
the  one  at  Lubeck  is  supposed  to  date  from 
1463.  The  original  "  Dance  of  Macaber," 
as  performed  in  the  churches,  has  been 
(Glossar  Carpentier)  traced  back  to  1424. 


69 


CHAPTER  VI 

PROGRESS  OF    WOOD-ENGRAVING    IN    ENGLAND 

Turning  from  the  Northern  School,  which 
found  masters  in  Albrecht  Diirer  and  Hans 
Holbein  the  younger,  the  question  naturally 
arises,  What  was  Great  Britain  doing  in  the 
matter  of  engraving  all  this  time  ?  We  have 
seen  perfection  of  work— for  nothing  more 
beautiful  than  the  Adam  and  Eve  of 
Diirer,  nothing  more  terribly  realistic  than 
the  Christus  wird  au's  Kreuz  genagelf,  of 
Holbein,  ever  have  been  or,  to  my  mind, 
ever  will  be  produced  ;  but  where  do  we 
English  come  in  ?  Truth  to  tell,  we  come 
in  very  badly.  We  were  too  busy  in  dreams 
of  conquest  and  of  Empire,  to  pay  much 
attention  to  the  gentle  arts,  and  if  the  love 
of  the  beautiful  languished  in  England,  it 
was  probably  because  learning  was  regarded 
as  womanish,  and  only  those  were  considered 
worthy  who  were  capable  of  feats  of  arms. 

Possibly  we  have  no  reason  to  complain  of 

70 


4\*€fy  tafc  of  t#s  s»e&ut  of  prjgfgfc 


7t«&?  fcggnnetf)  tfc  fafe  of 
t£)c  Oocfr  ttt  of  p^ifift 

&    i^3t  6np$t  t^ot  cfcpio  Ibae  Sitcjinws 
^~>^  JuCfcRcc?  of  honour  <t  of  IbotiQgnee 
ftttty  ftmn$e  of  frotoge  ano?  of  jgc&s 
2t  touc$fc:  fas?  HJte  ISnggf)*  6g  §i«  Ibgf 
Ito  cf)if ot?t?  f»^  ft:  mo  *n  aC  §t6  fpf 
^agt  ibae  ffyo  mag&  of  e^ceffenf  fccwfr 
^touen  euerg  U>j?3§fr  t^at  men  mi?e$<  fee 
Jot  natois  fatQ  ibiH)  fouropn  OiCpgcnee 
Joutmcty  fyi  h)  fo  gwfe  cgojKcnor 
7l®  t§oucjf)  ffe  IboCo?  fag  fe  3  naftnx 
£§u©  can  3  fburme  ano?  pjgnOr  a  ewafate 
•fljfan  t§a<  mc  &fi  Ibfa  can  mc  counfrrfefc 
<£tgmofcon  not  tf)ouc$  $  fbige  ono?  &fr 
©x  gome  or  ptgnfc  for  3  tat  IbeE  fa>n 

ff    H 


FROM     THE     CANTERBURY    TALES. 
Caxton. 


WOOD-ENGRAVING    IN     ENGLAND 

this  :  but  for  this  feeling  we  should  not  be, 
as  we  are,  a  masterful  and  dominant  race  ; 
yet  the  fact  remains  that,  alike  in  Art  and 
Science,    we    have    often    woefully    lagged 
behind    in    achieving    results    which    other 
people  have  compassed.     It  must  not,  how- 
ever, be  overlooked,  that  when  we  have  put 
our  hands  to  the  artistic  or  scientific  plough, 
we  have  accomplished  as  greatly  as  others  ; 
our  national  talent  in    thf»*e  directions  was 
only  obscured,  not  lacking,  and  the  exigencies 
of  the  times,  not  the  ability  of  the  people, 
were  alone  responsible  for  our  shortcomings. 
This    little    diversion    is    my    apology    for 
taking  matters  out  of  sequence,  and  harking 
back  to    the    art    of    engraving    as    known 
in   England    before    Hans  Holbein    worked 
among  us. 

The  earliest-known  engraving,  which  is 
an  example  of  British  Art,  is  a  plate  of  a 
"  Moral  Play,"  formerly  in  the  possession 
of  M.  Weigel,  of  Leipzig,  which  realised  a 
price  of  ^140  in  1872,  and  which  is  now 
in  the  British  Museum,  and  this  has  been 
facsimiled  by  Mr  Frank  C.  Price.  When, 
however,  we  come  to  the  earliest  British 
engravings,  produced  in  number,  we  have 
71 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

to  fall  back  upon  that  most  remarkable  man, 
Caxton,  who  is  certainly  one  of  the  greatest 
heroes  that  the  proud  county  of  Kent  ever 
produced.  I  think  that  I  may  be  pardoned 
for  saying  a  few  words  about  Caxton  before 
proceeding  to  deal  with  his  work.  He  was 
born  at  Hadlow,  in  the  Weald  of  Kent,  as 
he  says,  in  1422,  and,  so  far  as  can  be 
ascertained,  was  a  descendant  of  former 
Lords  of  the  Manor.  Apparently  the 
family  had  fallen  upon  evil  days,  for  Caxton 
was  apprenticed  to  Robert  Large,  Mercer, 
of  Old  Jewry,  a  man  of  substance,  who  was 
Lord  Mayor  of  London,  1439-40.  Having 
served  his  articles,  he  went,  in  1446,  to 
Bruges,  to  start  business  on  his  own  account, 
but  he  returned  in  1453,  in  order  to  be 
admitted  to  the  Livery  of  the  Mercers' 
Company,  the  premier  Guild  of  London. 
Shortly  afterwards  he  was  made  Governor 
of  the  Merchant  Adventurers  of  the  Low 
Countries,  and  in  this  capacity  he  seems  to 
have  done  good  work,  and  to  have  acquired 
a  competence.  His  heart  was,  all  this  time, 
not  with  commerce,  but  with  art  and  letters, 
and   in    1473,   he   published   Le   Recueil  des 

Histoires  de   Troyei  and  set  himself  to  learn 

72 


WOOD-ENGRAVING    IN    ENGLAND 

the  newly-invented  art  of  printing.  It  is 
doubtful  if  Caxton  first  studied  printing  at 
Cologne  or  at  Bruges,  but  it  is  known  that 
he  was  associated  with  Colard  Mansion  at 
Bruges,  in  1473.  ^n  x47^  ^e  ^e^  Bruges, 
and  established  himself  in  the  precincts  of 
the  Abbey  at  Westminster,  in  the  house 
with  "  the  reed  pale,"  or  red  palings,  in  the 
Almonry,  where  he  set  up  the  first  printing- 
press  established  in  England.  He  printed 
there  some  seventy-one  books,  and  dying 
in  149 1,  was  buried  in  the  church  of  St 
Margaret,  at  Westminster,  where  a  tablet 
was  placed  to  his  memory  by  the  Roxburghe 
Club,  and  a  stained  glass  window,  with  an 
inscription  by  Tennyson,  was  given  by 
the  printers  and  publishers  of  London,  in 
1883. 

This  brief  allusion  to  the  personal  history 
of  Caxton,  which  will  be  familiar  to  most  of 
my  readers,  is  only  by  the  way  ;  for  the  point 
we  have  to  consider  is  not  what  Caxton 
printed,  but  what  he  engraved.  So  far  as 
we  know,  the  first  printed  book  in  England 
containing  woodcuts  is  the  second  edition  of 
Caxton's  Game  and  Play e  of  the  Chessey  which 
he  translated  from  Jean  de  Vignay's  version 
73 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

of  J.    de    Cassoli's    Ludus    Scacchorum   and 
which  was  published  about  1476. 

Heineken,  in  his  Idee  Generalei  falls  into 
error,  for  he  quotes  the  Golden  Legend  as 
the  first  book  published  in  England  which 
contained  woodcuts.  This  is  not  so,  for 
the  Golden  Legend  was  not  issued  until 
1483  ;  and  Jackson  is  careful  to  recite  that 
the  Game  and  Playe  of  the  Chesse  and  the 
Mirrour  of  the  World  were  both  antecedent, 
the  former  by  some  seven  years.  There  is 
a  curious  entry  on  the  blank  leaves  at  the 
end  of  a  copy  of  the  first  edition,  in  the 
possession  of  the  authorities  of  the  British 
Museum,  giving  a  list  of  the  bannerets  and 
knights  made  at  the  battle  of  "  Stooke  by 
syde  newerke  apon  trent,  the  xvi.  day  of 
June,  the  iide  yer  of  harry  vii,"  i.e.  1487. 
The  bannerets  were  "  S.  gilbert  Talbot,  S. 
John  Cheiny,  S.  willia  stoner.  Theis  iii 
were  made  byfore  the  bataile,  and  after  the 
bataile  were  made  the  same  day,  Sr  John 
of  Arundell,  Thomas  Cooksey,  John  forte- 
skew,  edmond  bedingfield,  james  blount,  ric 
of  Crofte,  Geoffrey  Stanley,  ric  delaber,  John 
mortymer,  willia  troutbeke."  The  "  knyghtes 
made  at  the  same  bataule"  follow. 
74 


WOOD-ENGRAVING    IN    ENGLAND 

In  the  Game  and  Playe  of  the  Chesse  there 
are  twenty-four  impressions,  but  only 
sixteen  subjects.  The  pawns  are  represented 
as  labourers  —  a  smith,  clerk,  merchant, 
apothecary,  innkeeper,  toll-gatherer  and 
courier.  Caxton  gives  the  following  de- 
scription of  the  innkeeper  :  — 

"The  sixte  pawn  which  stondeth  before  the 
alphyn  on  the  lyfte  syde  is  made  in  this  forme 
ffor  hit  is  a  man  that  hath  the  ryght  hond 
stretched  out  for  to  calle  men,  and  holdeth  in  his 
left  honde  a  loof  of  breed  and  a  cuppe  of  wyn,  and 
on  his  gurdel  hangyng  a  bondel  of  Keyes,  and 
this  resemblith  che  taverner,  hosteelers,  and  sellars 
of  vytayl.  And  these  ought  properly  to  be  sette 
to  fore  the  alphyn  as  to  fore  a  judge  for  these 
sourdette  oft  tymes  among  them  contencion,  noyse 
and  stryfF,  which  behoveth  to  be  determyned  and 
trayted  by  the  alphyn,  which  is  judge  of  the 
Kynge." 

Of  course  the  point  we  have  to  consider 
is  not  the  object  or  the  process  of  produc- 
tion of  Caxton's  books,  but  how  the  en- 
gravings, or  rather  woodcuts,  were  produced, 
and  where.  I  am  careful  upon  this  point, 
because  Passavant,  who  starts  with  the 
assertion  that  Caxton  was  born  in  141 2, 
75 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

instead  of  1422,  says  that  he  was  "  the  first 
who  published  in  England  books  ornamented 
with  engravings  from  metal"  and  adds  that 
the  cuts  in  the  Game  and  PI  aye  of  the  Chesse 
are  from  metal  blocks.  How  any  one  in 
his  sober  senses  could  make  such  an  asser- 
tion I  cannot  conceive,  the  more  so  as  such 
statements  from  authoritative  sources  are 
apt  to  confuse  the  issue  which  all  students 
are  anxious  to  make  clear.  Dr  Dibdin, 
again,  in  his  Disquisition  on  the  Early  State  of 
Engraving  and  Ornamental  Printing  in  Great 
Britain,  says  that  the  figures  in  the  Game 
of  Chesse  and  in  the  Mirrour  of  Life  "are, 
in  all  probability  not  the  genuine  production 
of  this  country  ;  and  may  be  traced  to 
books  of  an  earlier  period  printed  abroad. " 
But  he  does  not  trace  them.  He  could 
not,  because  they  are  not  traceable.  He  is 
good  enough  to  say  that  the  cuts  for  the 
second  edition  of  the  Canterbury  Tales 
"  may  perhaps  safely  be  considered  as  the 
genuine  invention  and  execution  of  a  British 
artist ; "  then  why  not  the  Game  of  Chesse 
and  the  Mirrour  ?  The  cuts  are  nothing  to 
boast    about  ;    they   are    coarse    and   crude 

enough  ;    but    I    object    to    the    idea    which 
76 


WOOD-ENGRAVING    IN    ENGLAND 

some  people  seem  to  entertain  that  England 
owes      everything     to      outside     initiative. 
Jackson     strikes    a    healthy    note    in    my 
favour.      He    says — "I    am    decidedly    of 
opinion  that  the  cuts  in  the  Game  of  Chesse 
and  the  Mirrour  of  the  JVor Id  were  designed 
and    engraved    in    this    country "  ;    and    he 
adds — "I     protest     against     bibliographers 
going    abegging    with    woodcuts    found    in 
old    English  books    and   ascribing    them    to 
foreign   artists  before  they  have   taken    the 
slightest    pains    to    ascertain    whether    such 
cuts   were    executed  in    England    or    not." 
This  sturdy  protest  is  just.     Compare   the 
coarse    work    of   Caxton's    books  with    the 
finished  productions  of  the  Northern  School. 
They    are    hard,    impressionless,    infantile, 
and  why  Caxton  should  have   gone  to  the 
trouble    of  importing    them   is    a    mystery. 
Mr  Noel  Humphreys  alleges  that  the  cuts 
in    the    Canterbury    'Tales    (second    edition) 
have    a   right    to   be    considered    English, 
because    of  certain    peculiarities    of    style  ; 
but  I   believe  that  all  the  cuts  in    Caxton's 
books  are   English.     They  show  the    mark 
of  the  novice  so  strongly  that  it  is  incred- 
ible that  Caxton,  fresh    from   Cologne    and 
77 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Bruges,  should  have  brought  such  unfinished 
work  with  him,  or  should  have  caused  it  to 
be  sent  him.  This  is  not  paying  a  compli- 
ment to  England  ;  but  we  have  atoned  our 
past  artistic  crimes,  and  I  am  wishful  to 
contend  that  the  first  English  printer  also 
employed  the  first  English  engraver,  even 
if  his  name  be  unknown. 

When  Caxton  started  at  Westminster, 
he  made  "  begynnynge  with  small  storyes 
and  pamfletes  and  so  to  other,"  and  the 
"  other,"  as  all  the  world  knows,  was  very 
good  indeed.  Of  his  Mirrour  of  the  World 
or  Thymage  of  the  Same,  he  says  he  trans- 
lated it  from  the  French  at  "  the  request, 
desire,  coste  and  dispense  of  the  honour- 
able and  worshipful  man  Hugh  Bryce, 
alderman,  cytezeyn  of  London,"  who  in- 
tended to  present  it  to  Lord  Hastings. 
u  Which  booke  I  begun  to  translate  the 
second  day  of  Janyuer  the  yere  of  our 
Lord  Mccclxxx.  And  fynyshed  the  viii  day 
of  Marche  the  same  yere  and  the  xxi  yere 
of  the  reygn  of  the  most  crysten  kynge 
King  Edward  the  Fourthe." 

The  description  appended  to  the  cuts  is 

couched    in    such    quaint    phraseology    that 

78 


WOOD-ENGRAVING    IN     ENGLAND 

I  need  no  apology  for  giving  it.  Appended 
to  the  scheme  of  creation  is  the  sentence — 
"  Ye  ought  to  know  that  when  our  lord 
God  made  the  world  and  that  he  had  made 
all  things  of  nought  he  had  no  nede  of  it." 
The  creation  of  Eve  evokes  the  following  : — 
"When  God  formed  man  he  wolde  made 
and  create  hym  like  unto  hys  ymage  and 
semblance  to  thend  that  he  shold  have 
remembrence  of  the  goodes  that  he  had 
lente  hym  and  that  he  myght  deserve  them 
alle  by  ryght  and  raison  ffor  he  shewede  to 
hym  so  greate  love  that  above  alle  other 
creatures  he  fourmed  hym  to  his  figure  and 
semblance. "  Of  the  geometrical  subject 
he  says — "  The  fyfthe  is  called  geomstrye 
the  whiche  more  anayeleth  to  astronomye 
than  ony  of  the  vii  others  ffor  by  her  is 
compassed  and  mesured  astronomye.  Thus 
is  by  geomestrye  mesured  alle  things." 
Of  astronomy  he  writes — "  And  who 
knoweth  well  and  understandeth  astronomye 
he  can  sette  reson  in  alle  thinges  for  our 
Creatour  made  alle  thynges  by  reson  of  his 
name  to  every  thyng."  The  eclipse  of 
the  sun  is  thus  described — "  It  happeth 
sometyme  that  the  sonne  leseth  his  clere- 
79 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

ness  and  the  lyght  in  the  playn  daye  for  it 
goth  as  to  declyne  and  is  called  in  latyn 
eclipse.  This  eclipse  proceedeth  bicause 
of  defaulte  of  light  and  it  happeth  in  this 
manere  that  when  the  mone,  whiche  is 
under  the  sonne,  cometh  right  betwene  us 
and  the  sonne,  then  in  the  right  lygne  it 
felouth  that  towards  us,  the  mone  t?keth 
and  receygneth  the  lyght  of  the  sonne  on 
heye  so  that  it  seemeth  to  us  that  it  is 
defaylled." 

Two  of  the  cuts  from  The  Game  and 
Playe  of  the  Chesse,  namely  the  Apothe- 
cary and  the  Dice  Player,  are  thus  de- 
scribed— 

"The  Fifth  pawn  that  is  set  before  the  (Jueen 
signifieth  the  Physician,  Spicer,  and  Apothecary 
and  is  formed  in  the  figure  of  a  man  :  and  he  is 
set  in  the  Chair  as  a  Master  and  holdeth  in  his 
right  hand  a  book  :  and  an  ample  or  a  box  with 
ointment  in  his  left  hand  :  and  at  his  girdle  his 
instruments  of  Iron  and  of  Silver,  for  to  make 
incisions  and  to  search  wounds  and  hurts  and  to 
cut  apostumes." 

The  eighth  pawn  represents — 


The  ribalds,  players  at  dice  and  the  messengers 
80 


C8«e  c^f  cfja^fcc  of  fy  tS>i\*  fcoB  fccfed)  ©f  atou?; 
HM  .pfc^cr©  of  o^fc  g  of  mcffagfce  ant?  cutwuze  ea  $i# 


25c  ri&uiCae  pfy*tC5  a^fc  g  tfy  mcffagcts  g  cut 
(    tcuro  onafii  fo  Ct  fcftc  fofbtc  r6e  woft.  for  ft*  nwt 


THE     DICE     PLAYER. 


a*  flfo  tC/at  &Cfc  *ifi>«ft  ^F*?  K«  K^^OT <**#■ 
tie*  fcfimft  g  foto$c  man?  %^co  £  mo<6c  of  $c  sCofc 
5Sfc  <&*  fimtBe  XBcC  $c  fcicncc  of  arfm*W|uc  £  m^^ 
|8Tajaft£wm«  of  alTc  tfymgc«f/(gg  oi^mancc  &ie  ffo 
ffibsftmatt  fr  acafcs/3tn*  By  osttwancc  of  (6c  fouemvt) 
> ~ - — " fc  fW  &  *ffc  j 


'0& 


H-*. 


{}Xtgt  fofotSafj 
Sic  fc^cncc  of 


geometric  <6c 


THE     APOTHECARY. 


WOOD-ENGRAVING  IN  ENGLAND 

and  courrors  (couriers)  and  ought  to  be  set  before 
the  rook  which  is  Vicar  of  the  King,  to  have  men 
convenable  for  to  run  here  and  there  for  to  en- 
quire and  espy  the  places  and  cities  that  might  be 
contrary  to  the  King." 


81 


CHAPTER  VII 

SOME     MASTERS    OF    THE    FRENCH    AND 
ITALIAN    SCHOOLS 

Singular  as  it  may  appear,  at  the  very  time 

when    Caxton    was    introducing    the    art    of 

engraving  on  wood   into  England,  that  art 

had  started  on  a  downward  grade,  and  was 

rapidly  losing  its  popularity,  even  in  towns 

and  cities  where  it  had  been  most  famous. 

It   was   not   that    engraving    itself  was    less 

in   favour,   but   that   those   less   gifted   than 

the   great   ones   gone  before    found    that    it 

was  easier  ito    obtain   delicacy  of  execution 

on  metal  than  it  was  on  wood.     The  French 

School  especially,  which  later  on   developed 

a   passion   for    elaboration   till    it    became    a 

craze    that    actually    obscured    the    subject, 

was  the  greatest  sinner  on  this  point  ;   but 

the     Italian     followed,     and     engraving     on 

wood    seemed    almost    doomed,    till    it    fell 

to    the    lot    of   England,   in    the    person   of 

Thomas  Bewick,  to  bring  about  a  glorious 
82 


•SSI 


nwv 


%f< 


mm 


'-■-—  ~-''":3§ 


mm 


MfW^ 


ST.    GEORGE    AND    THE     DRAGON. 
Benedetto  Montagna. 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

revival,  in  the  later  days  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

There  are  some  masters  who  must  not 
be  omitted  before  we  come  to  the  great 
discovery  of  mezzotint,  and  these  are  of 
the  French  and  Italian  Schools.  Some  few 
years  before  Caxton  died — actually,  I  believe, 
in  1485 — there  was  born  at  Langres  a  child 
named  Jean  Duvet,  who  was  afterwards  to 
make  his  mark  in  art,  and  to  be  known 
by  the  name  of  the  "  Master  of  the  Unicorn. " 
I  am  careful  about  this  master  since  he 
has,  to  my  mind,  been  assailed  unjustly, 
or,  perhaps  I  should  say,  criticised  much 
more  severely  than  he  deserved  ;  and  as  our 
national  collection  is  rich  in  the  number  of 
his  works,  it  is  open  to  anyone  to  judge 
whether  or  not  I  am  correct. 

Jean  Duvet  was  a  goldsmith  in  the  service 
successively  of  Francis  I.  and  Henri  II.  of 
France.  His  first  known  dated  print  was 
published  in  1520,  but  it  is  fairly  evident 
that  he  had  become  a  skilful  artist  at  a 
much  earlier  period.  Passavant  ascribes  to 
him  seventy-five  pieces,  the  most  important 
of  which,  The  God  Mars,  1530,  Adam 
and  Eve,  Moses  with  the  Patriarchs,' 
83 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

St   John  the  Baptist,  The   Crucifixion,  and 
twenty-four  plates  descriptive  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, or  Apocalypse  Figuree — for  which  he 
received  a  royal  decree.     Out  of  this  collec- 
tion one  might  expect  to  find  some  one  or 
other  sufficiently  good  to  merit  praise,  but 
little,  if  any,  is  given,  and  such  as  is  accorded 
is  very  half-hearted.     Bartsch  describes  his 
work  as  f(  merely  a  picturesque  assemblage 
of  different  lines  which,  although  sufficient 
to  produce  the  requisite  shadows,  does  not 
necessitate    that    subtil    attention    necessary 
for  executing   a  clean  and  careful   stroke." 
The  next  complaint  comes  from  Duplessis, 
who  says  his  work  (<  is  often  too  dry  and 
involved.  .   .  .     Duvet  takes  just  as  much 
pains  with  the  accessories  of  his  designs  as 
he  does  with  their  most  important  objects, 
hence    there    is    no    focus    of    interest,    but 
everything  is  equal,  and  all  is  surcharged. " 
Well,  neither   of  them  mention    his  Chriso 
and   the  Woman    of   Samaria,  which   Will- 
shire  mentions  with  admiration,  and  Ottley 
thinks     enough     of    the     Annunciation     to 
give    space    to     it ;    while    surely    the    St 
Sebastian    does    not    need    harsh    treatment. 
84 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

It  is  a  new  complaint  that  a  man  is  too 
careful,  but  "  any  stone  suits  some  folk, 
so  that  it  be  a  stone."  One  of  the  prints 
accredited  to  Duvet,  The  Poison  and  the 
Antidote,  was  said  by  Mr  Carpenter, 
formerly  Keeper  of  Prints  at  the  British 
Museum,  to  be  a  genuine  Leonardo  da 
Vinci,  an  opinion  which  was  shared  by 
Stanley,  and  Passavant  quotes  Cefare  da 
Sefto  as  the  engraver.  Most  of  his  plates 
were  signed  Joh.  Duvet,  or  simply  Duvet, 
sometimes  only  by  letters,  "I.  D." 


Duvet  died  in  1556.  His  title,  the 
"  Master  of  the  Unicorn,"  was  because  of 
his  frequent  introduction  of  this  animal, 
which  was  some  subtle  allusion  to  Francis  I. 

Another  French  engraver  of  the  period, 

who    deserves  more    than    passing  mention, 

is   Jean    Etienne    de    Laulne,    who   was    in 

Paris,  as  some  say,  but  more    probably    in 

85 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Orleans,  in  151 8.  He  was  at  first,  so 
Bryan  says,  an  engraver  of  medals,  who 
received  large  artistic  assistance  from  Ben- 
venuto  Cellini,  then  resident  in  Paris,  which 
probably  accounts  for  his  Italian  style, 
though  it  was  the  fashion  to  copy  that 
School,  both  then  and  for  a  considerable 
period  afterwards.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  famous  designers  of  goldsmiths'  work, 
and  some  half-dozen  of  his  finest  plates  are 
in  the  Louvre.  Most  of  his  principal  work 
was  done  at  Strasburg,  where  he  resided 
the  best  part  of  his  life  with  his  son. 
He  copied  David  and  Goliath  ;  The 
Slaughter  of  the  Innocents  ;  and  St 
Felicitas,  from  the  prints  of  Marc  An- 
tonio ;  The  Brazen  Serpent,  after  Cousin, 
which  is  one  of  his  largest  and  best  plates  ; 
and  a  great  variety  of  Old  Testament  and 
mythological  subjects,  which  were  probably 
the  work  of  his  son.  Willshire  considers 
his  Neptune  and  Arethusa  to  be  two 
of  his  best  productions,  but  I  think 
La  Triomphe  de  Bacchus  and  Combat 
d'Hommes   et  d'Animeaux  to    be  superior. 

He  was  great  on  engraving  circular  dishes, 
86 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

reproducing  the  histories  of  Moses  and  of 
Samson,  and  his  work  was  peculiar,  being 
a  mixture  of  lines  and  fine  dots  akin  to 
stipple.  Jean  Etienne  de  Laulne  died  at 
Strasburg  in  1595,  his  usual  signatures 
being  "  S.  SF.,"  or  "  S.  fecit,"  but  he  some- 
times signed  "  Stephanis  fecit." 

The  next  artist  of  importance  at  this 
period  was  Jacques  Callot,  who  was  born 
at  Nancy  in  1593,  and  died  in  the  same 
place  in  1635.  Weird,  fantastic,  unre- 
strainable,  Callot  was  the  Dante  of  engravers, 
one  who  seemed  to  revel  in  the  horrible, 
and  who  yet  was  capable  of  portraying  not 
alone  the  real,  but  the  beautiful.  M. 
Galichon  sums  him  up  so  admirably  that, 
although  the  extract  has  been  reprinted 
many  times,  I  cannot  refrain  from  giving 
it.  He  writes — "  From  the  brain  of  no 
other  artist  did  a  like  legion  of  monsters, 
all  armed,  ever  make  their  exit.  One  would 
suppose  that  Callot  must  have  fitted  him- 
self for  his  vocation  by  a  descent  to  the 
Styx  ;  that  he  had  visited  in  one  night  the 
Hell  of  the  Christians,  the  Gulfs  of  Tasnare, 
the  Court  of  Pluto,  and  the  Palace  of 
Belzebuth."  All  this  is  true,  yet  the  same 
87 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

brain  which  designed  pictures  of  demons, 
exhausting  the  stock  of  human  ingenuity 
in  their  portrayal,  which  often  are  revolting 
in  their  coarseness  of  conception,  also  drew 
the  refined  and  delicate  prints  of  the  Passion, 
the  sets  of  the  Apostles  and  Saints,  and 
others  that  are  still  more  exquisite.  Where, 
for  instance,  is  a  finer  print  of  the  period 
and  School  to  be  found  than  St  Nicholas 
Preaching  at  the  Entrance  to  a  Wood  ? 
or  what  more  refined  than  Benedicite  or 
Grace  ?  or  what  better  work  than  the 
design  for  a  Crucifix  ? 

Again,  Callot  was  a  fine  character  drawer 
as  any  that  I  remember,  as  his  two  sets  of 
Italian  Beggars  sufficiently  prove.  Strutt 
says  of  him — "  The  fertility  of  invention, 
and  the  vast  variety  which  are  found  in 
the  works  of  this  excellent  artist  are  very 
astonishing.  One  would  hardly  have  sup- 
posed it  possible  to  combine  so  great  a 
number  of  figures  together  and  vary  the 
attitudes,  without  forced  contact,  so  that 
all  of  them,  whether  single  figures  or 
groups,  may  be  equally  distinguished 
from   each    other,    even    in    the    masses    of 

shadow,    especially  when    we    consider    that 
88 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

they    are    often    minute    even    to    admira- 


tion." 


Callot  was  as  prolific  a  producer  as  he 
was  a  designer,  some  1,500  plates  being 
placed  to  his  credit.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  to  make  use  of  hard  varnish  in 
etching,  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
he  was  less  an  etcher  than  an  engraver.  He 
did  etch  when  it  suited  him,  for  your  true 
artist  presses  all  means  into  his  service  ;  but 
it  is  as  an  engraver  alike  of  the  divine  and 
beautiful  as  of  the  most  fearful  and  horrible, 
that  Callot  will  be  best  remembered. 

The  masters  of  the  Italian  School  neces- 
sarily occupy  a  high  place  in  the  world  of 
art,  for  Rome  attracted  all  that  was  best  of 
the  children  of  the  South,  and  the  great 
artists  and  teachers  found  it  expedient  to 
remain  there.  All  who  are  lovers  of  art 
for  art's  sake  have  reason  to  be  thankful  to 
the  successive  Pontiffs,  who  gave  such  vast 
opportunities  to  the  greatest  painters  of  the 
day,  and  through  them  to  their  brethren  of 
the  burin.  The  greatest  period  in  the  art 
history  of  the  Vatican  began  with  Pope 
Julius  II.,  nephew  of  Sixtus  IV.,  to  whom 
and  to  his  successor,  Leo  X.,   are  due  the 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

principal    art    treasures    which    adorn    the 

palace    of  the   Vatican.     It   was   Julius    II. 

who  gathered  to  that  place  that  wonderful 

colony  of  painters  which,  commencing  with 

Perugino,  and  including  Bramantino,  Ruysch, 

Peruzzi  and  Lorenzo  Lotto,  ended  with  the 

immortal    master    Raphael.      The    name    of 

this  master  lifts   us   at   once  from  the  vast 

regions  of  art  generally,  into  which  one  is 

perilously  tempted  to  stray,  into  touch  with 

our  chief  subject,  which  is  engraving  ;    for 

it    must    not    be    overlooked    that    Raphael 

himself  was  by  no  means  unacquainted  with 

that  art.     I  am  not  one  who  is  disposed  to 

attach   too   much   credit   to    the    assumption 

that    Raphael    was    responsible  for  many  of 

the  best  plates  of  the  Italian  School  of  this 

period,   although   it    is    more  than  probable 

that  he  supervised  the   production   of  most 

and   touched    up    many    plates  ;    but   to  his 

influence,  doubtless,  is  due  that  gracefulness 

of  outline  and  harmony  that  specially  marks 

the  work  of  the  masters  of  the  age. 

It  came  about  that  at  the  very  time  when 

Albrecht   Diirer  was    in    the    zenith    of  his 

fame,  a  young  artist  and  engraver,  by  name 

Marc  Antonio  Raimondi,  crept  into  notice, 
90 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

and  gave  proof  of  power  which  was  destined 
to  place  him  in  the  front  rank  among 
masters  of  the  Italian  School.  Born  in 
Bologna,  according  to  Passavant,  in  1488 — 
but  as  Willshire  alleges  in  1480 — he  was 
instructed  in  drawing  by  Francesco  Raibolini, 
and  also  studied  engraving  under  a  Bologna 
goldsmith,  whose  name  is  unknown.  In- 
deed, a  great  deal  of  uncertainty  surrounds 
the  personal  history  of  many  of  the  best 
exponents  of  the  Italian  School ;  but  their 
art  remains  an  imperishable  monument  to 
their  genius.  One  thing  is  certain  about 
Raimondi,  better  known  as  Marc  Antonio, 
which  is,  that  in  15 10  he  proceeded  to 
Rome,  and  there  became  one  of  the  trusted 
workmen  under  Raphael.  Those  were  not 
always  happy  days  for  artists,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  successive  Pontiffs, 
who  were  not  remarkable  for  blameless 
lives,  devoted  their  best  efforts  to  revive 
Art,  and  to  make  the  palace  of  the  Vatican 
the  envy  of  the  world.  In  this  last  point 
they  succeeded,  too  well  for  themselves  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  but  occasionally 
ideas  crept  in  which  were  not  favourable 
to  the  artist.  So  it  came  about  that  Marc 
91 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Antonio,  who  was  charged  with  engraving 
some  questionable  pictures,  probably,  if  one 
may  judge  by  his  future  work,  free  from 
all  real  blame,  was  imprisoned  for  the  alleged 
offence  by  order  of  Pope  Clement  VII. 
Upon  the  intercession  mainly  of  Baccio 
Bandinelli  he  was  released,  and  in  token 
of  gratitude  he  engraved  the  painter's  cele- 
brated picture  of  the  Martrydom  of  St 
Lawrence,  and  the  excellence  of  his  work  at 
once  found  him  favour  with  the  Pope.  Not 
so,  however,  with  Bandinelli,  who  complained 
that  his  conception  was  changed,  and  his 
ideas  diverted.  It  is  not  a  new  story.  I 
have  known  many  engravers  who,  by  their 
skill,  have  removed  blemishes  in  the  work 
of  the  painter  while  retaining  the  best 
features  of  his  work,  and  this,  surely, 
should  be  a  subject  of  praise  rather  than 
blame.  The  controversy  is  interesting, 
because  it  shows  how  critics  differ.  The 
Pope  applauded  the  engraver,  and  Bartsch 
says — "that,  accustomed  to  the  graces  of 
Raphael/'  Raimondi  had  softened  "the 
outree  manner  of  Bandinelli.,>  On  the 
other  hand,  Passavant  alleges  that   "if  the 

pupil  of  Raphael  has  bestowed  more  nobility 
92 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

and  beauty  on  the  form,  particularly  of  the 
nude,  he  has  done  so  only  at  the  expense 
of  the  energy  overruling  the  whole  com- 
position. "  I  take  leave  to  differ  from  this 
assertion,  and  collectors  justify  my  opinion 
by  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  work  is 
held. 

There  is  a  point  here,  which  more  than 
one  chronicler  has  noticed,  which  should 
not  be  overlooked  by  the  student  and 
collector,  namely,  that  after  Raimondi's 
death  many  of  his  plates  were  pawned  to 
the  Monte  de  Pieta,  and  the  Cannera  at 
Rome  leased  these  to  dealers  for  a  period 
of  one  year,  with  permission  to  take  as 
many  impressions  therefrom  as  they  chose. 
What  the  results  were  can  well  be  imagined, 
but  these  productions  no  more  represented 
the  finished  work  of  Marc  Antonio  than  a 
bulrush  does  a  palm-tree.  His  plates  also 
were  frequently  retouched  by  Barlacci,  Laseri 
and  others. 

It  is  interesting  to  read  what  men  of 
authority  say  of  one  of  the  greatest  of 
Italian  masters  of  the  engraver's  art. 
Gilpin  speaks  of  both  Marc  Antonio  and 
his  pupil  Agostino  Veneziano  in  one  breath, 
93 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

saying  that  their  engravings  of  the  works 
of  Raphael  are  celebrated  for  antiquity,  not 
merit.  "  Their  execution  is  hard  and  formal 
to  the  last  degree,  and  if  their  prints  give 
any  idea  of  the  works  of  Raphael,  one  may 
wonder  how  they  obtained  their  reputations.,, 
This  is  rather  an  involved  sentence,  although 
the  meaning  intended  to  be  conveyed  is 
clear,  and  this  intention  is  flatly  contra- 
dicted by  Passavant,  who  writes  of  Marc 
Antonio — "The  exceptionally  high  talent  of 
Marc  Antonio  as  a  draughtsman  shews  itself 
in  all  its  force  when  he  engraves  after  simple 
sketches  of  Raphael  not  specially  prepared 
for  engraving  from,  since  certain  parts  only 
were  finished,  while  others  were  but  just 
indicated.  The  engraver  must  have  been, 
therefore,  completely  penetrated  by  the 
manner  of  the  master,  to  have  been  enabled 
to  leave,  from  such  sketches,  works  so 
perfect  as  those  which  we  admire  in  Marc 
Antonio's  prints."  Then  again  we  have 
the  testimony  of  Mr  Reid  of  the  British 
Museum,  who  says  that  ff  Raphael  took  so 
much  interest  in  Raimondi's  works  that  he 
corrected  the  outlines  of  some  of  the 
subjects  on  the  copper." 
94 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

Further  testimony  is  given  by  Willshire, 
who  is  a  critic  of  special  merit.  He  says — 
ff  Diirer  was  before  him  in  everything  but 
grace  and  that  Italian  feeling  for  flowing 
outlines  and  elegant  expression,  to  which  it 
is  scarcely  surprising  a  German  did  not 
attain.  Diirer  was  a  Shakespeare,  a  Michael 
Angelo,  a  genius,  a  creator  in  his  art  ; 
Marc  Antonio  was  the  Virgil  and  Horace 
of  his  time.  The  one  held  the  wand  of  an 
enchanter  as  well  as  the  burin  ;  the  other 
only  the  facile  crayon  of  the  accomplished 
artist." 

A  noteworthy  feature  about  Raimondi  is 
the  marvellous  way  in  which  he  impressed 
his  individuality  upon  his  pupils.  So  marked 
was  this  that  Bartsch  places  his  works  and 
those  of  Agostino  Veneziano  and  Marco  da 
Ravenna  in  the  same  catalogue.  Out  of  his 
300  odd  plates,  the  Aretino,  after  Titian,  is 
probably  the  best,  and  this,  at  the  Howard 
sale  in  1873,  sold  for  £780.  His  Adam 
and  Eve,  which  sold  at  Sotheby's  in  1874 
for  ^495,  is  doubtless  singularly  beautiful, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  like  subject  of  Diirer 
does  not  surpass  it.  Marc  Antonio  copied 
extensively  from  Diirer,  not  always  to  the 
95 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

benefit  of  the  latter  ;  but  he  shows  to 
advantage  in  his  series  of  small  saints,  and 
his  Massacre  of  the  Innocents  is  one  of 
his  finest  conceptions. 

Stormy  days  were  in  store  for  him.  In 
1527  the  Germans,  under  Friindesberg,  and 
the  Spaniards,  under  de  Bourbon,  swept 
down  upon  the  Holy  City,  the  object  being 
less  plunder  than  destruction.  Pope  Clement 
VII.  retired  with  his  Court  to  St  Angelo, 
and  the  Vatican  and  all  the  churches  and  art 
treasuries  were  given  over  to  the  destroyers. 
They  showed  their  aim  not  by  loot,  but 
by  malicious  and  wanton  mischief.  Every 
picture,  every  vessel,  vestment  or  tapestry 
was  hacked  in  pieces ;  the  painted  glass  was 
demolished,  such  relics  as  could  be  found 
were  destroyed,  and  the  goods  of  all  belong- 
ing to  the  palace  utterly  demolished.  The 
scenes  recall  the  worst  abominations  of  the 
wildest  revolutions  ;  and  while  da  Ravenna 
lost  his  life,  Marc  Antonio  lost  his  all.  He 
fled  to  Bologna,  and  there  in  less  than  three 
years  he  died.  What  treasures  were  lost  to 
art  by  this  senseless  outrage  it  is  impossible 
to  tell.     I  am  not  concerned  with  the  rule  or 

conduct  of  the  popes  ;  I  only  know  that  at 
96 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

that  time  no  city  of  the  world  was  so  rich  in 
all  things  beautiful  as  Rome,  and  wanton 
destruction  can  only  be  recorded  with  a 
pang. 

Of  Agostino  di  Musi,  better  known  as 
Agostino  Veneziano,  I  have  already  spoken, 
but  he  was  associated  with  Marco  Dente  da 
Ravenna  in  engraving  such  works  of  Raphael 
as  had  not  been  done  by  Marc  Antonio. 
He  produced  some  180  pieces,  of  which  I 
think  Ananias  Struck  Dead  to  be  one  of  the 
best.  Of  Ravenna  little  personal  is  known, 
but  his  work  proves  his  skill  and  his  worthi- 
ness to  be  a  pupil  of  a  great  master. 

While  all  the  world  is  indebted  to  the 
Pontiffs  for  the  part  they  played  in  the 
encouragement  of  Art,  collectors  are  most 
interested  in  those  who  reproduced  the 
glories  of  the  masters,  and  rendered  these 
treasures  possible  of  acquisition  by  the 
whole  civilised  race.  Chief  honour  there- 
fore attaches  to  Maso  Finiguerra,  who  was 
the  first,  and  one  of  the  best  exponents,  of  the 
Art  of  Engraving  in  Italy.  Of  this  gifted 
man,  Vasari  writes — 

"The  commencement  of  the  Art  of  Engraving 

(deir  intagliare)  springs   from   Maso  Finiguerra,  a 
g  97 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Florentine,  about  the  year  of  grace  1460,  since 
this  artist  from  all  his  works,  which  he  engraved 
on  silver,  to  be  afterwards  filled  up  with  niello, 
obtained  from  them  impressions  in  clay,  and 
having  poured  liquid  sulphur  on  these  they  became 
imprinted  and  charged  with  smoke.  Whence  by 
means  of  oil  they  gave  out  the  same  effect  as  did 
the  silver.  And  this  he  did  again  with  damp  paper, 
and  with  the  same  tint,  exerting  pressure  gently  all 
over  it  with  a  round  roller,  which  made  it  appear 
not  only  as  if  printed,  but  as  though  drawn  with 
the  pen." 

I  am  not  interested  to  know  if  Roger  van 

der    Weyden,   or   Van    Eyck,   who    was    at 

Rome  in   1450,  inspired   Maso   Finiguerra, 

since   although    priority  is   claimed   for  the 

German    School,    and    prints    engraved     in 

intaglio    on    copperplate     in    Germany    are 

said  to  exist   since   1422,  both  Bartsch  and 

Passavant  point  out  that  there  is  no  proof 

of  such  prints  having  existed,  and  that   in 

this    instance    the    wish    was    father    to    the 

thought.        Maso     Finiguerra     initiated     a 

Florentine  goldsmith,  named  Baccio  Baldini, 

in  the  art  of  taking  an  impression  on  paper 

from  a  niello  plate,  somewhere  about  1450, 

and  this  artist,  in    1465,  issued  his  famous 

calendar,  the  idea  being  the  indefinite  multi- 
q8 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

plication  of  prints  by  the  same  process  as 
that  used  in  charging  silver  plates  with 
nigellum.  Baldini  was  born  at  Florence  in 
1436,  but  the  date  of  his  death  is  uncertain. 
For  about  ten  years  Baldini  occupied  himself 
in  engraving  unaided,  but  after  this  time  he 
was  assisted  by  a  still  more  famous  artist,  by 
name  Alessandro  Fillipepi  Botticelli.  This 
noted  man,  better  known  as  Sandro  Botticelli, 
was  the  son  of  Mariano  Fillipepi,  and  was 
born  at  Florence  in  1447.  He  was  at  first 
apprenticed  to  a  goldsmith,  and  studied 
painting  after  Fillippo  Lippi,  and  afterwards 
devoted  himself  largely  to  engraving.  The 
suggestion  is  made  by  Passavant  that 
Botticelli  imitated  the  Master  of  1466,  or 
E.  S.,  and  that  this  suggestion  proves  that 
the  Germans  were  prior  to  the  Italians  in  the 
Art  of  Engraving  ;  but  it  certainly  does 
nothing  of  the  kind,  although  the  inference 
is  sufficiently  subtle  to  be  convincing  to  some 
minds.     Passavant  says  of  Botticelli — 

"  He  engraved  much  on  copper,  and  his  works 
of  this  kind  are  easily  recognisable  by  their  superior 
drawing,  particularly  of  the  contours.  Another 
character  distinguishing  them  from  the  engravings 
of  Baldini  is  the  use  of  the  dry  point,  particularly 
99 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

in  the  obliquely  crossed  hatchings — a  method 
adopted  by  the  old  German  masters,  and  among 
them  by  the  Master  of  1464,  or  of  the  Creation. 
As  these  hatchings  generally  disappear  after  the 
earlier  impressions  have  been  taken,  the  later 
copies  have  frequently  a  somewhat  harsh  appear- 
ance. Botticelli  employed  this  manner  of  en- 
graving in  his  prints  of  the  Prophets  and 
Sibyls,  and  particularly  in  his  illustrations  of 
Dante." 

He  immortalised  himself  during  the 
Pontificate  of  Sixtus  IV.  by  his  beautiful 
frescoes  in  the  Sistine  Chapel,  which  decora- 
tions have  caused  this  small  sanctuary  to 
be  described  as  <c  one  of  the  greatest  of 
the  world's  treasure-boxes."  Botticelli's 
contributions  are  The  Temptation  of 
Our  Lord  by  Satan  ;  Moses  assisting  the 
Daughters  of  Jethro  against  the  Shepherds 
of  Midian  ;  The  Sons  of  Aaron,  Korah, 
Dathan  and  Abiram  being  punished  at  the 
Altar  they  defiled,  and  some  of  the  figures 
of  the  Popes.  The  remaining  frescoes  are 
Moses  and  Zipporah,  once  attributed  to 
Signorelli,  but  now  claimed  to  be  the  work 
of  Pinturicchio ;  Moses  and  the  Israelites 
after  the  Passage  of  the  Red  Sea,  by  Cosimo 
Rosselli  ;  Moses  giving  the  Commandments 


100 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

from   the  Mount,  by  Rosselli  ;  Moses  and 
Joshua,    also    attributed    to    Signorelli,    but 
probably  by  Pinturicchio  ;  The  Baptism  of 
Christ,  attributed  to  Perugino  ;    The    Call- 
ing   of    the    Apostles    at    Gennesareth,    by 
Domenico    Ghirlandajo ;    The    Sermon    on 
the  Mount  and  The  Last  Supper,  both  by 
Rosselli  ;    and    Christ   giving    the    Keys  to 
St    Peter,     by     Perugino.       According     to 
Vasari,    Botticelli    was  given    charge    of  all 
the    artists  at  work   in  the  Sistine  Chapel, 
but  I  am  not  inclined  to  take  this  opinion 
too  seriously,  for  it  is  well  known  that  the 
voluptuous    colouring    of    Cosimo    Rosselli 
found  greater  favour  with  Sixtus  IV.  than 
did  the  more  delicate  toning  of  Botticelli. 
It  is  worth  noting  that  the  fine  background 
in  the  fresco  of  the  Punishment  of  the  Sons 
of  Aaron  has   been   attributed  to   Filippino 
Lippi,  but  the  only  reason  alleged  for  this 
is  its  extreme  beauty.     I   cannot  recognise 
this    as  any  valid    reason    for   refusing    the 
honours    of    its    composition    to    Botticelli, 
for  the  whole  of  this  fresco  is  admirable  in 
its  mingled   force   and  dignity,  passion  and 
terror,    and    the    man    who    pictured    these 
was    surely    capable    of   drawing    the    back- 


IOI 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

ground.  Equally  powerful  is  the  fresco  of 
Moses  and  the  Daughters  of  Jethro,  a 
wonderful  study,  chiefly  in  grey  and  white, 
but  it  is  too  full  of  varied  incident  to  rank 
as  an  effective  piece  of  work  of  the  first 
order,  although  the  ability  of  the  artist  is 
unquestionable. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  admired  of 
Botticelli's  works  is  his  Adoration  of  the 
Magi,  the  three  kings  being  portraits  of 
members  of  the  princely  family  of  Medici, 
who  gave  great  support  to  the  artist  and 
engraver.  The  first  king  is  represented  by 
Cosimo  de'  Medici,  the  second  by  Giuliano 
de'  Medici,  father  of  Pope  Clement  VII., 
and  the  third  by  Giovanni  de'  Medici,  son 
of  Cosimo.  Of  this  picture  Vasari  writes — 
"  It  is  a  most  admirable  work  for  colouring, 
design  and  composition  ;  and  so  beautifully 
finished,  that  even  in  these  days,  every 
artist  is  astonished  at  it." 

Botticelli   has  been  credited  with  writing 

a   commentary   upon    Dante,   but   although 

he   certainly   designed  and    engraved    plates 

for   the    Inferno,    there    seems    some   doubt 

about    his    written    essay.     Ottley    imagines 

that   "he  might   have  written   some  whim- 
102 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

sical  opinions  as  to  the  etiquette  and  rules 
of  precedence  which  he  imagined  proper 
amongst  the  different  classes  of  saints  and 
angels  in  heaven  :  and  that  in  these  opinions 
he  had  been  found  at  variance  with  the 
Established  Doctrines  of  the  Church."  Yet 
the  piety  expressed  in  most  of  his  scrip- 
tural compositions  does  not  suggest  any 
light  treatment  of  sacred  subjects  by  him. 
He  had,  no  doubt,  a  keen  sense  of  humour, 
but  I  see  nothing  in  his  work  as  a  whole 
to  suggest  the  satirist.  He  was  an  ex- 
cellent designer,  and  was  most  prodigal  in 
the  matter  of  production,  and  it  is  recorded 
that  some  time  after  his  death  his  designs 
were  sought  after  and  highly  prized,  even  by 
prominent  artists.  His  Florentine  Almanack 
was  produced  in  1464,  and  has  been  fully 
described  by  Strutt.  One  of  his  best  prints, 
according  to  Vasari,  is  The  Triumph  of 
the  Faith  of  Fra  Girolamo  Savonarola  of 
Ferrara,  and  I  am  not  disposed  to  disagree 
with  him.  Returning  for  an  instant  to  the 
claim  of  priority  by  Germany,  the  opinion 
of  Huber  is  worth  quoting,  and  he  em- 
phatically states  that   if  the  German  artists 

of    the   same   period    are    superior    in    the 
103 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

management  of  the  burin,  the  Italian 
masters  have  infinitely  the  advantage  in 
the  grace  and  contour  of  the  figures  and 
the  taste  with  which  they  are  composed. 
This  is  true  of  all  three  artists,  Baldini, 
Botticelli,  and  Benedetto  Montagna,  and  it 
is  worth  noting  that  the  phrase,  (t  as  lovely 
as  a  Botticelli/'  was  commonly  used  to  ex- 
press merit  that  nearly  reached  perfection. 
It  is  difficult,  when  one  commences  to 
write  of  the  masters  who  adorned  the 
Vatican,  to  avoid  straying  from  the  subject, 
and  to  keep  studiously  to  those  who  were 
engravers  as  well  as  artists.  One  is  apt 
to  dwell  so  lovingly  upon  Raphael,  Titian, 
Michael  Angelo,  Fra  Angelico,  and  the  army 
of  geniuses  who  have  adorned  its  walls, 
and  forget  that  many  in  its  ranks  did  not 
wield  the  burin.  As  Miss  Porter  says  in 
The  Art  of  the  Vatican — "  Perhaps  when 
the  to-be-hoped-far-away  future  has  crumbled 
to  ruins  the  Stanze  and  the  Sistine  Chapel, 
perhaps  the  soil  of  Italy  will  have  ready  a 
new  race  of  giant  creators,  who  can  worthily 
replace  the  masterpieces  of  the  vanished 
past.       Meanwhile,    for    us    the    embers    of 

that  golden  era  still  glow  with  a  brilliancy 
104 


FRENCH  AND  ITALIAN  SCHOOLS 

that  dims  all  present  achievement.  Only 
one  of  many  museums,  where  are  garnered 
the  Art  treasures  of  the  world,  it  is  the 
Vatican  which  holds  more  completely  than 
any  other  worthy  examples  of  the  greatest 
art  epochs  of  all  times." 


105 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    BIRTH    OF    MEZZOTINT 

We  now  approach  a  section  of  our  subject 
which  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  us  as  a 
nation,  namely  the  art  of  engraving  in 
mezzotint,  for,  be  it  remembered,  that 
England  has  been  called  the  home  of 
mezzotint.  When,  however,  we  begin  to 
inquire  into  the  origin  of  this  fascinating 
phase  of  the  engraver's  art,  we  find  that 
we  have  a  thorny  path  to  traverse,  since 
difficulties  galore  abound  even  as  they  did 
when  we  first  started.  It  seems  almost 
incredible  that  any  mystery  should  surround 
an  art  that  is  of  comparatively  recent  origin, 
and  yet  mystification  has  sprung  up  around 
its  discovery,  and  most  conflicting  argu- 
ments have  been  advanced  in  connection 
with  it. 

Popular    belief    gives    the    credit    of    its 
inception  to  Prince  Rupert,  Count  Palatine 

of  the    Rhine,    but   ingenious   authors  have 
1 06 


FIRST     KNOWN     MEZZOTINT     ENGRAVING. 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

gone  out  of  their  way  to  suggest  that  the 
inventor    of    the    art    was    either    Evelyn 
or  Sir   Christopher    Wren.      In    his    Micro- 
graphia,    dated     1667,    Hooke    says — "He 
(Sir    Christopher    Wren)    was    the    first    in- 
ventor   of  the    Art    of  graving    in   mezzo- 
tinto  :  which  was  afterwards  prosecuted  and 
improved  by  His    Royal    Highness   Prince 
Rupert,    in    a   method   somewhat   different, 
upon   the   suggestion  (as  it   is  said)  of  the 
learned    and    ingenious   John    Evelyn,  Esq. 
Of  this  Art  some  original  essays  are  extant  : 
viz.,  The  Head    of   a  Moor,    etc.,    by  the 
inventor ;    The    Executioner    of  John    the 
Baptist,  by  the  Prince,  on  the  sword  is  the 
mark  R.P.f.  (i.e.  Rupertus  Princeps  fecit), 
over  it  an  electoral  coronet."     Now,  beyond 
this   statement    by  Hooke,    there    is    not    a 
shadow    of   evidence    that   Sir    Christopher 
Wren     ever     engaged     in     engraving     by 
mezzotint,  and    Evelyn's  own  writing  con- 
clusively   proves    that    it    was    not    he    who 
instructed  Prince    Rupert,   but   that  it  was 
the    prince     who     initiated     him.       So    in 
looking   for    the   originator   or    inventor    of 
the    process,    we    must    go    farther    afield, 
and  we  owe  it  to  the  researches  of  Laborde 
107 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

that  the  matter  is  rendered  comparatively 
clear. 

Judging  by  contemporary  evidence,  there 
appears  to  be  little  doubt  that  the  inventor 
of  mezzotint  engraving  was  not  Prince 
Rupert,  or  Evelyn,  or  Wren,  but  Ludwig 
von  Seigen,  who  was  born  at  Cassel  in  1609. 
He  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  influence,  and 
at  one  time  held  the  position  of  "  Kammer- 
junker"  to  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  Cassel. 
Endowed  with  a  great  love  of  Art,  he  con- 
tinually experimented  as  an  amateur,  and  in 
1642,  while  living  in  Amsterdam,  he  com- 
pleted a  portrait  of  Amelia  Elizabeth, 
Dowager  Landgravine  of  Hesse,  which  he 
presented  to  the  young  Landgrave,  accom- 
panying his  gift  by  a  letter  which  seems  to 
indicate  his  right  to  the  title  of  the  first 
engraver  in  mezzotint.  Laborde  gives  a 
facsimile  of  this  letter  of  Seigen,  the  original 
of  which  is  preserved  at  Cassel,  and  which 
I  consider  of  such  importance,  that  it  deserves 
to  be  transcribed  in  extenso. 

It  is  as  follows  : — 

"  Serene,  Highborn  Prince  and  Gracious 
Sir, — My  humble  services  are  ever  at  the  disposal 
of  your  Princely  Grace. 

108 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

"Since  my  affection  as  a  subject,  rather  than 
the  hope  of  reward,  has  ever  urged  me  to  your 
service,  I  therefore  (without  regard  to  the  fact 
that  my  services  in  themselves  small  enough  have 
by  some  means  still  further  depreciated)  have  not 
wished  to  relax  my  diligence  in  devoting  work 
and  time  to  your  service,  as  the  present  piece 
which  I  herewith  humbly  submit  to  your  princely 
favour  sufficiently  shows. 

"This  is  the  print  from  copper,  gracious  Prince 
and  Lord,  which  I  promised  to  prepare  for  the 
ever  praiseworthy  memory  of  your  Grace's 
mother,  in  order  that  many  illustrious  persons, 
acquainted  with  the  actions  with  so  widely  famed 
a  princess,  might  be  enabled  to  possess  the  likeness 
of  her  person. 

"  But  since  I  have  discovered  a  new  or  singular 
invention  of  a  kind  never  hitherto  beheld,  I  have, 
on  account  of  the  nicety  of  the  work,  been  able  to 
have  few  copies  struck  off,  not  thousands,  as  in 
the  case  of  ordinary  engravings,  and  therefore  can 
with  them  only  oblige  a  few  persons.  Accordingly 
I  have,  as  was  just,  made  a  beginning  with  your 
Princely  Grace,  and  especially  have  thought  it  my 
duty  and  pleasure  to  dedicate  it  humbly  to  you,  as 
the  inscription  placed  underneath  indicates,  for 
these  reasons:  because  to  you  as  eldest  and  indeed 
only  son  of  the  reigning  prince,  the  representation 
of  your  Grace's  mother  could  not  but  be  welcome  ; 
for  the  rest,  because  I  could  not  neglect  to 
dedicate  to  your  Grace,  as  an  extraordinary 
109 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

amateur  of  Art,  such  a  rare  and  hitherto  unseen 
work  of  Art. 

"  How  this  work  has  been  done  no  copper- 
plate engraver  or  artist  can  explain  or  imagine, 
for,  as  your  Grace  is  aware,  only  three  methods 
of  engraving  on  copper  have  hitherto  been 
seen. 

"(i)  Engraving  or  cutting  in  line  (stechen  oder 
Schneider). 

"  (2)  Etching  or  touching  with  the  point  (aetzen 
oder  gradiren). 

"  (3)  A  method,  hitherto  very  uncommon,  called 
puncturing,  also  executed  entirely  with  points,  but 
in  a  different  manner  and  with  great  labour  and 
therefore  unusual  (letzlich  ein  noch  gar  ungewceu- 
liche  arth,  so  man  puntzeniren  heist,  auch  mit 
eitel  stiplein  jdoch  anders  und  gar  miihlich  der 
wegen  ungebrauchlich). 

"The  present  method  is,  however,  none  of 
these,  although  here  also,  are  merely  little  points 
and  not  a  single  line  or  stroke,  though  in  some 
places  it  appears  like  a  line,  yet  it  is  all  merely 
dots,  which  information  I  did  not  wish  to  conceal 
from  your  Grace,  as  well  skilled  in  Art.  I  here- 
with commend  your  Grace  to  the  Divine  protec- 
tion for  all  princely  well-being,  and  myself  humbly 
to  Him  and  to  your  Grace's  favour. 

«L.  Von  Seigen." 

"A  Son  Altesse,  Monseigneur  Le  Landgrave 
"  de  Hessen  Cassel. 

"Amsterdam,  igth  August  1642." 
no 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

Mr  John  Chaloner  Smith,  who  quotes  the 
foregoing,  points  out  that  the  third  process 
referred  to  by  Von  Seigen  was  presumably 
the  style  practised  by  J.  Morin  and  others, 
and  which  was  said  to  have  arisen  from 
imitation  of  Vandyke's  etching,  and  after- 
wards practised  by  Lutina,  when  it  was 
called  "opus  mallei,"  and  was  something 
akin  to  stipple.  Von  Seigen  published  the 
portrait  of  the  Dowager  Landgravine  of 
Hesse  in  1643,  anc^  m  J^44  produced 
portraits  of  William  Prince  of  Orange  and 
his  princess,  and  then  apparently  rested 
from  this  work  for  quite  ten  years.  Then, 
according  to  Chaloner  Smith,  i.e.,  in  1654, 
Von  Seigen  met  Prince  Rupert  at  Brussels 
and  confided  the  secret  of  his  execution  of 
the  plates  to  him. 

Prince  Rupert,  who  was  himself  no  mean 
executant,  engaged  Wallerant  Vaillant  to 
assist  him,  but  he  evidently  did  not  consider 
that  he  was  bound  to  secrecy,  for  he  ex- 
plained the  process  to  Evelyn,  and  I  believe 
to  Sherwin,  while  Von  Seigen  was  still 
living.     Evelyn,  in  his  Sculfttura,  says — 

"  His  Highness  did  indulge    me  the  liberty  of 
publishing  the  whole  manner  and  address  of  this 
in 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

new  way  of  engraving  with  a  freedom  perfectly 
generous  and  obliging.  But,  when  I  had  well 
considered  it  (so  much  have  been  already  ex- 
pressed, which  may  suffice  to  give  the  hint  to 
all  ingenious  persons  how  it  is  to  be  performed),  I 
did  not  think  it  necessary,  that  an  Art  so  curious 
and,  as  yet,  so  little  vulgar  (and  which,  indeed, 
does  not  succeed  where  the  workman  is  not  an 
accomplished  designer  and  has  a  competent  talent 
in  painting  likewise),  was  to  be  prostituted  at  so 
cheap  a  rate,  as  the  more  naked  describing  of  it 
here  would  too  soon  have  exposed  it  to." 

This  very  frank  statement,  and  the  further 
assertion  that  he  is  ff  most  ready  {sub  sigillo 
by  His  Highness's  permission)  to  gratify 
any  curious  and  worthy  person  with  as  full 
and  perfect  a  demonstration  of  the  entire 
Art  as  my  talent  and  address  will  reach  to/' 
disposes  of  the  story  that  is  told  by  Decamps 
of  how  Theodore  Caspar,  a  Furstenberg, 
bribed  a  son  of  Vaillant  to  divulge  the  secret 
to  him.  That  Von  Seigen  kept  the  matter 
close  for  a  time  is  certain,  but  Prince  Rupert 
seems  to  have  been  exceedingly  communica- 
tive, and  Furstenberg  probably  learnt  the 
process  from  Von  Seigen  as  soon  as  the 
prince  did,  for  he  issued  a  plate  within  two 
years  of  the  meeting  at  Brussels.     The  evi- 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

dence  that  we  have  seems  altogether  to  displace 
the  statement  of  Evelyn  that  the  art  of  mezzo- 
tint engraving  was  "  invented  "  by  Prince 
Rupert,  although  he  was  an  expert  in  the  pro- 
cess, as  his  superb  plate,  the  Great  Exe- 
cutioner, issued  in   1658,  sufficiently  proves. 

Even  then  he  had  rivals,  for  Thomas  of 
Ypres,  Court  painter  at  Vienna,  who  accom- 
panied the  Emperor  Leopold  to  Frankfort, 
produced  mezzotints  the  same  year.  It  is 
but  just  to  remember  that,  so  far  back  as 
1830,  Dr  Hugh  W.  Diamond,  in  a  paper 
read  before  the  Society  of  Antiquaries, 
pointed  out  that  Prince  Rupert  was  not,  and 
could  not  have  been,  the  inventor  of  mezzo- 
tint engraving,  as  earlier  plates  than  his  were 
in  existence,  and  had  been  acquired  by  the 
authorities  of  the  British  Museum.  It  is, 
however,  to  the  researches  of  Laborde  in 
Germany  and  Holland,  that  we  owe  the 
settlement  of  many  vexed  questions,  and 
especially  the  truth  about  Von  Seigen. 

The  work  of  the  inventor  was  continued 

by  Wallerant  Vaillant,  at  Amsterdam,  who 

was  a  painter  and  etcher  as  well  as  a  mezzo- 

tinter,    and    who,    according    to    Wessely, 

scraped  some  206  plates,  only  four  of  which 
h  113 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

are  dated,  two  in  1673  and  two  in  1675. 
Next  in  early  importance  we  may  place 
Johann  Friedrich  Leonart  and  Jan  van 
Somer,  brother  of  Paul  van  Somer,  who 
with  Blooteling,  G.  Valck,  A.  de  Blois  and 
J.  Verkalje,  all  resided  in  England.  Blootel- 
ing, by  the  way,  is  said  to  have  been  the 
inventor  of  the  credle,  or  rocking  tool,  but 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  a  similar  instru- 
ment must  have  been  employed  before. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Continental  artists 
in  mezzotint  came  to  England,  probably 
because  of  the  presence  of  Prince  Rupert 
in  this  country,  and  the  prodigal  encourage- 
ment which  he  gave  to  Art ;  and  now  we 
arrive  at  the  first  English  engraver  in  mezzo- 
tint, an  honour  which  belongs  to  William 
Sherwin.  Sherwin  was  the  son  of  the 
Rector  of  Wallington,  in  Herefordshire,  and 
was  born  in  1650.  He  was  an  artist  from 
choice,  not  necessity,  and  although  he  sold 
his  prints  in  "  little  Britain,"  it  was  purely 
pour  s' amuse.  He  married  a  granddaughter 
of  the  elder  brother  of  General  Monk, 
which  probably  accounts  for  his  association 
with   the    Albemarle   family,    for   whom    he 

engraved    many     portraits.      The    question 
114 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

arises,  How  did  Sherwin  become  acquainted 
with  the  art  of  mezzotint?  Some  folks 
think  that  he  first  acquired  his  knowledge 
through  the  hints  dropped  by  Evelyn  in  his 
Sculp tura  ;  but  Sherwin  undoubtedly  met 
Prince  Rupert  at  the  home  of  the  Duke 
of  Albemarle,  and  an  inscription  on  one 
of  his  plates  indicates  that  he  was  directly 
instructed  by  the  prince. 

Grainger  tells  that  Sherwin  discovered  the 
secret,  and  made  use  of  a  loaded  file  for 
laying  the  ground,  and  that  Prince  Rupert, 
on  seeing  one  of  his  prints,  suspected  that 
his  servant  had  lent  his  tool,  which  was  a 
channelled  roller,  but  on  receiving  full  satis- 
faction to  the  contrary,  made  Sherwin  a 
present  of  the  instrument.  Yet  this  hardly 
tallies  with  the  inscription  on  Sherwin's 
Portrait  of  Charles  II.,  a  line  of  which  runs 
— "  Vestrae  Celsitudinis  gratia  et  favore  sibi 
divulgatum."  This  seems  to  prove  pretty 
conclusively  that  Sherwin  was  fully  instructed 
by  someone,  after  he  had  read  Evelyn's  book 
and  that  someone  could  hardly  have  been 
any  other  than  Prince  Rupert. 

Although  I  have  placed  William  Sherwin 
as  the  first  English  engraver  in  mezzotint, 
115 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

his  claim  to  the  distinction  has  been  disputed 

on  grounds  other  than  those  to  which  I  have 

referred.     The  Rev.  James  Chelsum,  D.D., 

in   his  History   of  the  Art  of  Engraving  in 

Mezzotinto,  awards   the   honour   to    Francis 

Place,    a   descendant    of    a   wealthy   family 

having  property  in  the  counties  of  York  and 

Durham,  who,  he  says,  "  scraped  in  mezzo- 

tinto  (for   he  is  said  to  have  given  himself 

to    his   favourite   pursuits    in    1665),"    ie.3 

before    Sherwin    produced    his    first    plate. 

Now  this  is  the  merest  quibble,  for  Place, 

who  was  intended  for  the  law,  was  at  this 

time  under  articles  to  an  attorney  in  London. 

He  quitted  the   city  and  gave  up  the  law 

when  the  plague  broke   out,   and  although 

he  mixed  in  artistic  circles,  and  was  intimate 

both  with  Sherwin  and  Blooteling,  he  never 

dated  the  prints  he  issued,  and  there  is  not 

a  grain  of  evidence  that  the  amateur  was  in 

advance  of  those  whose  work  he  delighted  in. 

The  balance  or  probability  is   all  the  other 

way,    for    Sherwin    had     access    to    Prince 

Rupert,    and    I    am    not    aware    that    Place 

ever  had  that  privilege.     I  admit  that  Place 

did   good  work,  and   it  betrayed  a  marked 

originality  ;  but  if  we  accept  Walpole's  state- 
116 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

ment,  he  was  most  erratic,  seldom  completing 
what  he  undertook,  that  he  delighted  in 
rambling  about  the  country,  painting,  draw- 
ing or  engraving  what  pleased  him,  but  he 
was  altogether  averse  to  any  system  of  con- 
trol. According  to  the  same  authority  he 
refused  a  pension  of  ^500  a  year  on  condition 
that  he  would  draw  the  ships  of  the  Royal 
Navy,  for  the  simple  reason  that  he  preferred 
freedom.  Yet  his  work  realised  good  prices 
for  those  days,  for  his  small  mezzotint  of 
Archbishop  Sterne  sold  for  ^10,  and  his 
oval  of  General  Lambert  for  £$y  15s.  6d. 
One  of  his  most  noteworthy  plates  is  the 
portrait  of  Henry  Gyles,  glass-painter  of 
York,  with  the  following  inscription  at  the 
bottom  : — "  Henry  Gyles,  glass-painting  for 
windows,  as  amies,  sun-dials,  history,  land- 
scapes, etc.,  done  by  Henry  Gyles  of  the 
City  of  York.  F.  Place,  f.  i2mo."  He 
usually  scraped  portraits,  but  subject  pieces 
did  not  come  amiss  to  him,  and  his  Lady 
Confessing  to  a  Monk,  the  Dutch  Family, 
and  A  Reading  Monk,  after  Vandyck,  are 
well  known.  Chelsum  also  gives  priority 
to  Sir  Ralph  Cole,  because,  on  the  authority 

of  Grainger,   he   scraped   one    mezzotint  of 
117 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Charles  II.,  for  all  which  I  give  my  vote  in 
favour  of  Sherwin. 

From  the  moment  that  Prince  Rupert 
disclosed  his  secret,  or  that  of  Von  Seigen, 
in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  mezzotint  seems 
to  have  found  its  home.  Heineken,  in  his 
Idee  Ginirale,  says — 

"Quand  le  Prince  Rupert  y  fit  connoitre  la 
gravure  qu'on  nomme  la  maniere  noir,  elle  a  pris 
tellement  le  dessus  et  a  ete  executes  a  la  fin  avec 
tant  de  finesse  et  d'esprit,  que  tout  ce  qu'on  a  faits 
dans  d'autres  pais,  ne  lui  est  millement  comparable  : 
ainsi  fut  elle  nommee,  par  preference  la  maniere 
Angloise." 

I  will  quote  two  other  graceful  tributes 
before  I  pass,  the  first  from  Delaborde,  who 
writes — 

"  Like  a  grateful  orphan  this  art  took  the  name 
of  her  new  adoptive  mother — for  she  had  become 
truly  English — while  they  were  repudiating  her 
in  other  places." 

And  M.  Charles  Blanc  says — 

"  The  precision  of  the  burin,  the  verve  of 
etching,  agreed  better  with  the  character  of 
French  Art.  England  is  almost  the  only  country 
that  has  known  how  to  avail  itself  of  the  mezzo- 
tint process,  and  it  is  to  its  engravers  that  we  have 
to  look  for  illustrations  of  its  methods." 
118 


THE  BIRTH  OF  MEZZOTINT 

It  has  been  alleged  more  than  once 
that  the  statement  in  Evelyn's  Sculptura 
is  obscure,  and  has  been  suggested  that 
Prince  Rupert  brought  the  finished  plate 
that  adorns  the  book  with  him  and  only 
exhibited  the  tools.  I  turn  to  Evelyn's 
diary,  under  date  13th  March  1661,  and 
find  the  following  : — 

"This  afternoon  Prince  Rupert  showed 
me  with  his  own  hand  the  new  way  of  grav- 
ing called  mezzotinto,  which  afterwards, 
by  his  permission,  I  published  in  my  history 
of  Chalcography  :  this  set  so  many  artists 
on  worke,  that  they  soone  arrived  to  that 
perfection,  it  is  since  come  to  emulating 
the  tenderest  minatures."  If  language  is 
something  more  than  the  art  of  concealing 
thought,  this  means  that  Prince  Rupert  did 
actually  grave  in  Evelyn's  presence. 

A  moot  point  arises  respecting  one  of  the 
next  earliest  English  mezzotint  engravers, 
Thompson,  who  was  contemporary  with 
Place,  as  to  whether  he  scraped  the  plates 
which  bear  his  name,  or  whether  he  only 
sold  them.  Grainger  thinks  that  he  simply 
sold  them,  and  speaks  of  him  as  "  Richard 

Thompson,  who  sold  some  of  Van  Somers* 

119 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

prints,  has  been  mistaken  for  the  engraver. 
...  I  have  seen  the  words  '  Thompson 
execudit '  to  mezzotints  of  the  Duchess  of 
Portsmouth,  the  Countess  of  Exeter,  the 
Countess  of  Stamford,  the  Lord  John  and 
Lord  Bernard  Stuart,  Mrs  Davis,  and  several 
others,  but  never  (  Thompson  fecit'"  ;  on 
the  other  hand  gossipy  Walpole  specially 
speaks  of  the  beautiful  mezzotint  of  Nell 
Gwyn  and  her  two  sons,  and  believes  that 
Thompson  did  carry  out  this  work.  The 
same  chatty  writer  points  out  that  Bloo- 
teling  and  Gerald  Valck,  who  was  formerly 
his  servant  and  married  his  sister,  worked 
together  upon  several  mezzotints  to  which 
their  names  are  affixed  without  discrimina- 
tion, and  that  we  therefore  frequently  find 
in  catalogues  plates  of  the  same  persons 
attributed  to  either  of  them. 


120 


Engraved  by] 


[I.  Beckett. 


CHARLES     I. 


CHAPTER  IX 

EARLY    BRITISH    MEZZOTINTERS 

A  stately  procession  of  names  of  gifted 
men  marks  the  first  decade  following  the 
introduction  of  mezzotint  into  England, 
including  D.  Loggan,  E.  Luttrell,  Isaac 
Beckett,  R.  Williams,  Rixon  Man,  Oliver 
Robinson,  W.  Faithorne,  Junr.,  R.  White, 
and  that  great  genius,  J.  Smith. 

Luttrell  was  a  Dublin  man  who  was  born 
in  1650,  and  who  came  to  London  to  study- 
law,  but  abandoned  it  for  art.  He  is  often 
wrongly  described  as  "  Henry "  Luttrell, 
and  as  he  seldom  put  his  name  to  his  prints, 
uncertainty  has  often  arisen.  Chaloner 
Smith  attributes  the  plates  of  the  Earl  of 
Nottingham  and  the  Earl  of  Ossory  to  him. 
He  will  ever  be  remembered  for  the  fact 
that  he  inspired  Isaac  Beckett  with  a  passion 
for  engraving  in  mezzotint.  Beckett,  who 
was  born  in  Kent  in  1643,  was  apprenticed 

to  a  calico  printer.     He  used  to  visit  Luttrell, 
121 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

and  relinquished  trade  for  engraving.  I 
have  seen  it  stated  that  he  was  taught  by 
Lloyd,  but  imagine  this  is  wrong,  for 
though  Lloyd  was  a  printseller,  Walpole 
emphatically  states  that  he  did  not  engrave. 
Beckett  probably  learned  the  publishing 
from  him,  for  after  making  a  good  marriage, 
he  published  prints  at  the  Golden  Head, 
Old  Bailey,  and  some  few  ff  under  ye  stares 
on  ye  north  side  of  ye  Royal  Exchange. " 
He  appears  as  the  engraver  of  plates 
published  by  A.  Browne,  and  many  others 
which  are  not  acknowledged  are  believed 
to  be  his. 

I  quote  a  statement  here  which  goes 
further  than  I  am  prepared  to  go,  but  which 
does  honour  to  two  distinguished  men,  and 
which  is  made  by  Mr  Chaloner  Smith.  He 
says — "  Isaac  Beckett  and  Williams  are 
entitled  to  be  considered  as  the  first  native 
Englishmen  who  extensively  practised  and 
founded  the  school,  the  earlier  works  being 
chiefly  executed  by  engravers  not  of  English 
birth,  and  those  that  were  so,  as  Place  and 
Sherwin,  having  worked  to  a  limited  extent, 
so  far  as  known  without  pupils  and  rather 
as  amateurs  than  anything  else." 

122 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

Williams  was  a  Welshman  whose  work 
is  distinguished  for  its  breadth  and  colour, 
his  principal  work  being  portraits  of  royal 
and  distinguished  persons  after  Wissing, 
Lely,  Kneller,  etc.  His  great  claim  to 
remembrance  is  that  he  had  J.  Smith  for 
his  pupil. 

Before  we  touch  this  master  of  mezzotint, 
I  may  note  that  Evelyns  desire  for  secrecy 
was  not  shared  by  the  engravers.  In  his 
Ars  Victoria,  published  in  1669,  A.  Browne 
gives  the  following  description  of  art  engrav- 
ing in  mezzotint : — 

"  The    manner  or  way  of   mezzotinto  : — First 
take  a  very  well  polished  plate  of  copper  and  ruffen 
it  all  over  with  your  Engin  one  way,  then  cross  it 
over  with  the  Engin  again,  and  if  you  find  occasion 
then    cross    it    over  the    third    time,    until    it    be 
ruffened  all  over  alike  (that  is  to  say)  if  it  were  to 
be    printed   it    would    print  black    all   over;    this 
done  take  charcole  or  black  chalk  to  rub  over  the 
plate,  and  then  draw  your  design  with  white  chalk 
upon  the  plate,  then  take  a  sharp  stift  and  trace 
out  the  outlines  of  the  design  you  drew  with  the 
white  chalk,  and  where  you  would  have  the  light 
strike    strongest,    take    a    burnisher    and    burnish 
that  part  of  the  plate  where  you  would  have  the 
light  strike  as  clean  as  it  was  when  it  was  first 
polished  ;  where  you  would  have  the  fainter  light, 
123 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

you  must  not  polish  it  so  much,  and  this  way  you 
may  make  it  either  fainter  or  stronger  according 
to  your  fancy.  As  for  the  manner  or  shape  of 
the  Engin/tthey  are  divers,  and  if  any  ingenious 
person  have  a  desire  to  have  any  made,  the  author 
will  give  them  further  directions." 

That  Browne's  communicativeness  stimu- 
lated many  to  try  their  prentice  hands  at 
the  art  of  mezzotint  may  be  taken  for 
granted,  and  some  few  achieved  a  certain 
amount  of  distinction  ;  but  as  it  is  imprac- 
ticable to  deal  with  everyone,  I  pass  to  him 
whom  Walpole  called  "  The  best  mezzotinter 
that  has  appeared  who  united  softness  with 
strength  and  finishing  with  freedom," 
namely — John  Smith.  Singularly  enough, 
very  little  is  known  of  the  life  of  this 
distinguished  and  most  successful  man. 
He  was,  it  is  stated,  born  in  1654,  although 
this  is  doubtful,  and,  as  some  aver,  was 
apprenticed  to  Tillet,  painter,  of  Moorfields, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  his  time  applied  to 
Beckett  for  work  and  was  instructed  by 
him,  Williams,  and  Vandervaart  in  the  art 
of  mezzotinto.  The  balance  of  probability 
is    that    Williams    had    more    hand    in    the 

tuition  than  Beckett  ;  but  whoever  laid  the 

124 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

foundation  found  an  apt  pupil,  one  able 
to  build  beyond  their  intended  height. 
Walpole's  estimate  of  his  powers  is  gener- 
ally considered  to  be  just,  but  Willshire 
strikes  rather  a  discordant  note  when  he 
says — "  No  doubt  many  of  Smith's  portraits 
are  superior,  large  in  style,  decisive  in 
form,  often  brilliant  with  light,  and  prove 
their  author  to  have  been  a  masterly  work- 
man. But  other  pieces  are  stiff,  hard  in 
handling,  and  want  colour." 

I  confess  that  I  do  not  quite  understand 
what  Willshire  means  by  "  other  pieces/' 
after  going  out  of  his  way  to  tell  us,  what 
all  knew,  that  Smith's  portraits  are  superior, 
and  that  he  himself  was  a  master.  Does  he 
allude  to  the  magnificent  Holy  Family,  after 
Maratti,  or  to  that  after  Schidone  ?  to  the 
Magdalens,  after  Titian,  Loir,  and  Schalcken, 
or  to  the  Venus,  after  Corregio?  If  so, 
which  of  them  is  hard  ?  He  cannot  well 
allude  to  the  nine  plates  of  The  Loves  of 
the  Gods,  after  the  Titians  at  Blenheim,  and 
hardly,  I  should  imagine,  to  the  Tarquin 
and  Lucretia.  It  is  a  bit  of  a  conundrum, 
and  I  am  compelled  to  think  that  the  state- 
ment was  made  for  the  sake  of  differing 
125 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

from  others.  Naturally,  all  Smith's  plates 
are  not  equally  good  :  artists,  like  other 
mortals,  suffer  from  liver  and  spleen,  and  at 
times  lose  their  cunning  ;  but  a  slip  here  and 
there  does  not  justify  anyone  supposed  to 
know  in  damning  a  great  man  with  faint 
praise.  Dr  Chelsum,  more  generous,  puts  it 
on  record  that  Lord  Somers  was  so  enraptured 
with  Smith's  work  that  he  never  travelled 
without  having  a  portfolio  of  his  plates 
beside  him  in  the  carriage. 

The  earliest  prints  attributed  to  Smith 
are  those  published  by  Browne,  namely, 
Catherine,  Queen  of  Charles  II.  ;  Charles  I., 
and  Charles  II.,  none  of  which  are  mentioned 
by  Bromley.  Then  we  have  James,  Duke 
of  York,  which  was  copied  in  line  by 
Loggan,  and  Mary  Beatrice,  Duchess  of 
York,  copied  in  reverse  and  in  line  by 
Vanderbanc.  Smith  afterwards  appeared  to 
have  taken  up  his  residence  with  Sir  Godfrey 
Kneller,  and  to  have  commenced  that  wonder- 
ful series  of  portraits  which  have  made  him 
famous.  But  John  Smith  was  more  than  an 
artist  ;  he  was  a  sound  business  man,  and 
after  a  comparatively  brief  connection  with 

E.  Cooper  and  others,  he  set  up  for  himself 
126 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

at  the  sign  of  the  Lyon  and  Crown,  in 
Russell  Street,  Covent  Garden,  and  became  a 
print-seller  and  publisher  of  the  plates  of 
others  as  well  as  of  his  own.  It  was  as  well 
for  him  that  he  did,  judging  by  one  of 
Walpole' s  unconsciously  ironic  sayings.  That 
racy  writer  says — cc  There  is  a  print  by  him 
of  James  II.,  with  an  anchor,  but  no  inscrip- 
tion, which,  not  being  finished  when  the 
king  went  away,  is  so  scarce  that  I  have 
known  it  sold  for  above  a  guinea ! " 

Smith  printed  from  plates  originally 
engraved  by  Beckett,  Williams,  Lens  and 
Simon,  and  it  has  been  made  a  slur  on  him 
that  he  affixed  his  name  thereto  ;  but  he 
never  did  this  until  he  had  so  retouched  the 
originals  that  they  were,  strange  to  say, 
vastly  improved.  I  am  not  advocating  the 
practice,  but  it  is  as  well  to  be  just  before 
we  are  censorious,  and  to  remember  that  in 
business  all  men  do  not  think  alike.  There 
is  a  story  of  one  plate,  told  by  Walpole,  which 
will  bear  repeating.  Schalcken  had  to  paint 
King  William  III.  by  candlelight,  and 
placed  a  candle  in  the  monarch's  hand,  keep- 
ing him  in  pose  till  the  tallow  ran  down  in 

his  fingers,  and  then,  says  Walpole,  to  show 
127 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

his  ill-breeding,  he  painted  himself  in  a  like 
position.  This  is  the  portrait  of  Schalcken 
which  Smith  scraped.  After  a  busy  life,  he 
sold  all  his  plates  and  retired,  having  amassed 
a  competency.  These  plates  came  into  the 
possession  of  Messrs  Boydell,  and  at  their 
sale  in  1 8 1 8  the  following  sums  were  realised: 
— 135  plates  of  portraits,  £14.0  ;  193  plates 
of  subjects,  ^49. 

Any  amount  of  doubt  surrounds  the  life- 
story  of  John  Smith  ;  doubt  as  to  the  date 
of  his  birth,  and  doubt  as  to  the  date  of  his 
death,  which  some  say  took  place  in  1720. 
But  the  inscription  on  his  tomb  at  St  Peter's, 
Northampton,  settles  the  last  point.  It  is  as 
follows  : — "  Near  this  place  lye  the  remains 
of  John  Smith,  of  London,  Gent.,  the  most 
eminent  engraver  in  mezzotinto  in  his  time. 
He  died  XVII  Jan.,  MDCCXLIL,  aged  XC." 
"  Also  near  this  place  lye  the  remains  of 
Sarah,  his  wife,  and  two  of  their  children. 
She  died  xvi.  May,  MDCCXVII."  The 
following  is  painted  on  the  tomb — "  Also  of 
(Benjamin)  Smith,  his  son.  He  died  Sept. 
xvii.,  1 75 1,  aged  45."  It  is  noteworthy 
that  Walpole  calls  Smith  "  John  Smith  (the 

younger)/ '     suggesting      that      his     father 
128 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

practised  the  art,  but  Mr  Chaloner  Smith 
says  there  is  no  foundation  for  such  assump- 
tion whatever. 

I  have,  naturally,  given  prominence  to  the 
works  of  J.  Smith  because  of  his  remarkable 
excellence,  but  it  would  be  unfair  to  pass 
over  a  contemporary  of  his,  George  White, 
who  did  much  to  improve  the  art  of  engrav- 
ing in  mezzotint.  George  White  was  the 
son  of  Robert  White,  who  also  scraped  some 
fine  portraits  in  mezzotint,  including  the 
Countess  of  Arundel,  the  Dukes  of  Rich- 
mond and  Ormond,  and  Dr  Briggs.  He  was 
a  pupil  of  Loggan,  and  worked  principally 
with  the  graver,  his  plates  being  readily 
recognised  by  wide  borders,  which  do  not 
improve  their  appearance,  and  by  a  lack  of 
finish,  which  Grainger  thinks  is  "  compen- 
sated by  the  truth  of  his  drawing,  in  which 
he  was  never  exceeded/ '  Walpole  honoured 
him  by  giving  his  portrait  in  his  Anecdotes, 
and  tells  of  one  or  two  of  his  curious  habits 
— one  being  to  throw  proofs  of  plates  that 
he  had  executed,  haphazard  into  a  cupboard, 
where  they  lay  until  his  death,  when  they 
were   sold   to  a  print-seller  in  the  Poultry, 

who     obtained     a     handsome     recompense, 
i  129 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Robert  White  received  considerable  sums, 
for  those  times,  being  paid  as  much  as  £30 
for  one  plate  ;  but  as  he  did  little  in 
mezzotint-engraving,  interest  in  him  chiefly 
centres  in  the  fact  that  he  was  the  father  of 
a  distinguished  son.  "  The  works  of  George 
White/'  says  Chelsum,  "  form,  as  it  were,  a 
new  epoch  in  the  history  of  mezzotinto. 
He  appears  to  have  been  the  first  who  intro- 
duced a  very  successful  method  of  etching 
his  pla'e  first,  and  then  scraping  it,  which 
has  since  been  adopted  by  other  masters  in 
the  improved  state  of  the  art,  and  which  is 
thought  to  have  given  a  peculiar  degree  of 
spirit  to  his  performances.  George  White  is 
reported  also  to  have  made  use  of  a  graver 
for  forming  the  black  spot  in  the  eyes, 
which,  in  preceding  mezzotintos,  he  observed 
had  never  been  distinct.  He  carried  the  art 
altogether,  certainly,  to  a  great  degree  of 
perfection,  and  has  left  behind  him  many 
beautiful  prints."  He  was  born  somewhere 
about  1670,  and  died,  presumably,  in  1735, 
but  these  dates  are  not  capable  of  verifica- 
tion, though  it  is  certain  he  was  alive  in 
1 73 1,    when    a    print    by    him    of    Bishop 

Weston  is  dated.     His  work    is    singularly 
130 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

tender  and  beautiful,  and  is  remarkable  for 
its  brilliant  effects  of  light  and  shade. 
Walpole  especially  praises  his  mezzotint  of 
Sylvester  Petyt,  which  he  considers  "  remark- 
ably fine,"  and  Chelsum  notes  that  there  is 
a  scarce  impression  of  this  print  with  orna- 
ments on  the  right-hand  side  which  do  not 
appear  in  the  ordinary  plates.  Most  of  his 
plates  were  published  by  Samuel  Sympson, 
who  had  a  shop  near  Catherine  Street, 
Strand,  and  afterwards  removed  to  Maiden 
Lane.  Every  writer  is  fain  to  give  George 
White  a  meed  of  praise,  and  Gilpin  says  of 
him — fC  His  mezzotintos  are  very  beautiful, 
Baptiste,  Wing,  Sturges  and  Hooper  are  all 
admirable  prints.  He  used  to  say  that  old 
and  young  Parr  were  the  best  prints  he  ever 
scraped."  Dr  Chelsum,  after  praising  Dutch 
industry  in  the  art,  says  that  in  point  of 
excellence  the  palm  must  be  given  to  our 
own  nation,  and  adds — "  White  and  Smith 
have  no  rivals  among  their  contemporaries, 
and  M(Ardell,  Houston  and  Fisher  may 
preserve  our  superiority  in  later  times." 

The  best  epitaph  of  White  is  to  be  found 
on    his    plate    of   Laughing    Boy,    sold    by 
Sympson,   aat  his  print  shop  in  ye  Strand, 
131 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

near  Catherine  Street/'  which  was  graved 
upon  the  plate  from  which  the  ground  had 
been  erased.     It  ran  as  follows  : — 

"  Boy  turn  thy  Laughter  into  Floods  of  Tears, 
And  tune  thy  Instrument  to  Mournful  Airs; 
Play  to  the  numbers  of  my  broken  Verse, 
Whilst  I  the  Loss  of  Friend  and  Art  rehearse  ! 
A  Friend  !  whom  None  in  Friendship  could  surpass  ; 
An  Artist  worth  all  Monuments  of  Brass  ! 
O  Shakespeare,  for  thy  Soul  to  raise  my  Flame  ! 
Thy  Musick,  Purcell,  to  resound  his  Fame  ! 
But  what  can  Verse  or  Musick  raise  so  High 
As  this,  his  Last,  and  Silent  Harmony  ! 
On  Him,  nor  Verse,  nor  Musick,  need  be  spent, 
Read  butGeorge  White  and  That's  hisMonument." 

Higher  tribute  cannot  be  paid  ;  no  words 

of   mine    can    add    emphasis    to    this    eulo- 

gium.      His    best    known    plates    are — The 

Right  Hon.    Sir   John    Coke,  Knight,  who 

was    Master    of  Requests  and    Secretary   of 

State    to    King    Charles    I.,    1625-32,    and 

Colonel   Thomas    Blood,    who  was    at    one 

time  an  officer  under  Oliver  Cromwell.     If 

all  accounts  are  to   be   accepted  as  correct, 

this  individual   was  a  most  dangerous  and, 

fortunately,  most  unfortunate  person.     He 

was  credited  with  having  attempted  to  surprise 

Dublin  Castle,  when  he  failed  ;  with  attempt- 
132 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

ing  to  kill  the  Duke  of  Ormond,  when  he 
failed  again  ;  and  with  trying  to  abstract  the 
Crown  Jewels  from  the  Tower,  which  was 
another  failure.  He  was  pensioned  by 
Charles  II.,  but  found  prison  at  last,  and 
died  in  1680. 

The  next  master  of  mezzotint  was  James 
M'Ardell,  one    of  the    finest    artists  of  his 
day,  who  was  born  at  Greek  Street,  Dublin, 
about   1729,  and  was   apprenticed    to   John 
Brooks,    with    whom    he    came   to   London 
in    1747.     He   published  his  prints    at    the 
Golden  Head,  Covent  Garden,  and  died  2nd 
June   1765,   and  was   buried    in  the  pictur- 
esque   churchyard    at    Hampstead.     Lyson 
says    that    there    was   an    inscription  on  his 
tomb    stating    that    he    died    in    his   thirty- 
seventh   year,    yet   many   writers   insist   that 
he    was    born    nineteen    years    before,   as    it 
would    appear,    he    was    thought   of.     Two 
things     are     quite     certain,     namely,     that 
M'Ardell  was    a    youth    when    he    came    to 
London,    and    that    Brooks    did    not    come 
till    1747  ;    so    the    variants    as    to    his  age, 
without  Lyson's  testimony,  may  be  readily 
dismissed.     He  has  been  rechristened  more 
133 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

than  once,  some  writers  calling  him  simply 
Ardel,  while  Nagler  gives  him  the  double 
names  of  "James  Marc/'  which  I  found  no 
reason  to  suppose  was  his.  Of  his  skill 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  his  association 
with  Reynolds  sufficiently  shows  the  esteem 
in  which  he  was  held  by  that  great  painter. 
Reynolds  published  M'ArdelTs  plate  of  his 
picture  of  Lady  Charlotte  Fitz  William, 
whose  son  was  created  first  Earl  of  Zetland, 
and  he  certainly  would  not  have  done  this 
unless  he  had  admired  to  the  full  the  work 
of  his  collaborator.  Northcote  says  that 
Reynolds  considered  that  his  own  fame 
would  be  preserved  by  the  skill  of  M'Ardell 
when  his  pictures  were  past  recall  ;  and,  if 
this  be  so,  I  can  only  say  that  it  is  a  pity 
more  painters  do  not  think  as  he  did. 

From  all  I  can  learn,  it  seems  that 
M'Ardell  was  one  of  the  kindest  and  best 
of  men,  ever  ready  to  help  a  comrade  or 
to  benefit  Art  for  Art's  sake.  Many  of 
the  plates  are  scarce,  and  I  may  mention 
the  portraits  of  William  Benn  (Hudson), 
Timothy  Bennett  (Budd),  John  Pine 
(Hogarth),  George  Washington  (Pond), 
134 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

Maria,  Countess  of  Waldegrave  (Reynolds), 
and  some  few  others  as  coming  within  this 
category.     He  by  no  means  limited  himself 
to   scraping    portraits,    but    executed    many 
plates   after   Rembrandt,  and   the  exception- 
ally  fine  Virgin   with  a    Glory   and    Angels 
(Murillo),    St    Jerome    kneeling    before    a 
Crucifix  (Murillo),  Virgin  and  Infant  Saviour 
(Vandyck),  and    the  Finding  of  Moses,  by 
the    same    painter.       The    best    known    ex- 
amples of  his   work  are— Maria,    Countess 
of     Coventry,     nee     Miss     Gunning,     after 
Cotes,  the  celebrated  beauty  who  married  the 
sixth    Earl   of  Coventry  ;    Maria,  Countess 
of   Waldegrave,    daughter    of    Sir    Edward 
Walpole,    who,    after    the    death    of    Lord 
Waldegrave,  wedded  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester,     and     Lady     Fenoulhet.       Mr 
J.    Chaloner   Smith   sounds  a  wise    note    of 
warning  to  collectors  when  he  writes — 

"  The  greater  portion  of  M'Ardell's  plates  fell, 
after  his  death,  into  the  hands  of  Sayer  ;  five  un- 
finished ones  were  completed  [i.e.,  Nathaniel 
Bucks,  Charles  Lord  Cathcart,  Jane,  Lady  Cath- 
cart  and  son,  William  Harvey,  and  Thomas 
Sydenham),  but  many  others  were  tampered  with 
135 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

without  altering  the  addresses,  and  some  were 
falsified  to  resemble  proofs.  It  is,  therefore, 
necessary  to  observe  great  caution  in  purchasing 
several  of  the  prints  by  this  engraver." 

I  have  often  heard  IVTArdeirs  work  un- 
favourably compared  with  that  of  his  fellow- 
pupil  Houston,  and  yet  I  think  that  this  is 
due  to,  perhaps,  a  little  doubt  as  to  their 
difference  of  character.  IVTArdell  was  to 
Houston  and  to  Spooner  much  as  Henry 
Moorland  was  to  George,  the  one  pains- 
taking and  methodical,  the  other  wayward 
and  careless,  in  about  the  same  proportion 
as  they  were  gifted.  With  his  more  staid 
habits  IVTArdell  ever  held  the  affection  of 
his  less  steady  brethren,  and  his  generosity, 
without  his  genius,  is  sufficient  to  keep  his 
memory  green. 

IVTArdeirs  great  contemporary  and  fellow- 
pupil,  Richard  Houston,  was  also  born  in 
Dublin,  some  six  or  seven  years  earlier  than 
his  most  successful  confrere.  I  mean  suc- 
cessful in  a  purely  commercial  sense,  for 
Houston  might  have  been  a  dangerous  rival 
to  IVTArdell  had  not  his  habits  obscured 
his   natural    genius.     He   worked,  when   he 

did  work,  at  fever  heat,  and  the  vigour  of 
136 


Painted  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  Engraved  by  Houston. 

MISS     HARRIET     POWELL. 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

his  production   is    scarcely    to    be    equalled. 
Chaloner  Smith  says  that  he  was  considered 
at  the  outset  of  his  career  to  rival,  if  not  to 
surpass,  M'Ardell,  in    spirit    and    fire,    and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  he  would  have  run 
him  very  closely,  and  probably  outstripped 
him,  but  for   his   fatal   inclination  to  put  off 
work  to  the  very  last  moment.     He  came 
to  London  about  the  same  time  as  M'Ardell, 
and   established    himself  near    Drummond's 
at  Charing  Cross  ;  but  procrastination  soon 
brought  him  into  disrepute,   and  Redgrave 
is  responsible  for  the  story  that  Sayer  con- 
signed him   to    Fleet  prison,    nominally   for 
debt,   but  actually  in  order  that    he    might 
know  where  to  find  him.     I  see  no  reason  to 
doubt  this  tale,  since  it  was  easy  enough  to 
arrest   for   debt  in   those    days,  but    it    was 
equally  easy  for  a  man  of  Houston's  genius 
to  free  himself  from  the  shackles,  and  this 
he  must  have  done,   since  he  was  certainly 
not  dependent  upon  Sayer  in  the  latter  part 
of  his  life,  when  he  principally  worked  for 
Carrington  Bowles.     He  is  best  known  by 
his  series  of  Statesmen,  after  Hoare,  and  for 
portraits  of  celebrated  divines  ;  but  he  suc- 
cessfully reproduced  some  Rembrandts,  and 
i37 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

is  known  to  have  made  two  small  etchings 
after  this  master,  which  were  published  by 
Sayer.  The  list  of  Houston's  portraits  is  a 
long  one,  and  most  of  these  are  well  known, 
but  his  subject  pieces  are  not  so  well  under- 
stood. Perhaps  the  most  popular  of  the 
last  are  the  Virgin  and  Child,  after  Raphael, 
and  the  prints  of  Waterfowl,  after  Teniers  ; 
but  I  am  much  more  inclined  to  favour  some 
of  the  scenes  from  Shakespeare,  especially  the 
Romeo  and  Juliet,  after  Wilson,  and  the 
powerful  Newsmonger,  from  Act  iv.  Sc.  iv. 
of  King  John y  after  Penny.  The  spirit  of  this 
plate  is  shown  in  the  quotation  appended — 

"I  saw  a  Smith  stand  with  his  Hammer  thus, 
The  whilst  his  Iron  did  on  th'  Anvil  cool, 
With  open  mouth  swallowing  a  Taylor's  news." 

Yet  Houston  must  not  be  judged  by  a 
limited  number  of  plates,  but  by  his  works 
as  a  whole,  and  by  the  opinion  that  was 
formed  of  it  by  competent  critics  during  the 
age  in  which  he  lived.  In  this  matter  diffi- 
culties are  always  likely  to  arise,  for  the 
majority  of  the  good  old  writers  stopped 
short  at  certain  periods,  and  refused  to 
criticise  those  with  whom  they  were,  in 
some  instances,  in  daily  contact.  We  are 
138 


VALENTINE     GREEN, 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

not  so  particular  now  ;  probably  the  pressing 
needs  of  daily  journalism   have  removed  a 
part  of  our   natural  sensitiveness  ;  but   the 
fact    remains    that     our    best    workers    in 
mezzotint     are     dependent      largely     upon 
modern    critics    for    eulogy,   if   not  for    ap- 
preciation.      Good     old    Dr    Chelsum,    in 
noting  the  artists  of  our  own  country  and 
in  his  own   time,  does   go  so  far  as  to  say 
that  "  among  them  the  names  of  M'Ardell 
and  Houston  deservedly  stand  foremost''  ; 
but  although  praise  from  such  a  quarter  is 
praise  indeed,  it  does  not  adequately  express 
all  that  these  artists  did  for  Art  during  the 
early  years  that  followed  upon  the  discovery 
of  the  new  and  brilliant  method  of  engraving. 
Houston's  work  is  judged  well  enough  now, 
and  he  loses  nothing  in  posthumous  fame  ; 
but   the  question   must   arise   in  relation  to 
him,  as  it  does  concerning  most  artists,  why 
he   did    not   receive  the  fullest    measure    of 
appreciation  when  he  was  still  with  us.     It 
is  a  national  trick  of  ours  to  heap  honours 
upon  the  dead  poets  and  dead  artists,  and 
to  refuse  them  full  meed  of  approbation  and 
reward  when  living,  and  the  loss  to  Art  and 
Letters    that    has    been    occasioned    by    this 
139 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

practice  is  not  easily  to  be  measured.  I 
have  selected  as  an  illustration  the  mezzotint 
of  Miss  Harriet  Powell,  a  vocalist  of  note 
and  an  admirable  actress.  This  lady,  so  far 
as  can  be  ascertained,  married  Col.  Kenneth 
Mackenzie,  commander  of  the  78th  Foot, 
who  was  created  (1766)  Viscount  Fortrose, 
and  ( 1 77 1 )  Earl  of  Seaforth,  in  the  Peerage 
of  Ireland.  Mr  Chaloner  Smith  points  out 
that  this  union  was  probably  kept  secret, 
as  no  mention  was  made  of  it  at  the  time, 
but  there  are  not  sufficient  reasons  extant 
for  presuming  that  the  marriage  did  not 
take  place.  Beneath  the  portrait,  which 
was  painted  by  Reynolds,  and  scraped  by 
Houston  in  1771,  are  the  following  lines  : — 

"Say,  little  foolish  flutt'ring  thing, 
Whither,  ah  !  whither  would  you  wing 

Your  airy  flight  ? 

Stay  here  and  sing 
Your  mistress  to  delight. 

No,  No,  No, 
Sweet  Robin,  you  shall  not  go  ; 
Where,  you  wanton,  could  you  be, 
Half  so  happy  as  with  me  ?  " 

This  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  Houston's 
140 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

art,  exhibiting  all  that  softness  and  delicacy, 
all  that  wonderful  depth  of  light  and  shade 
of  which  he  was  capable. 

Another  fine  mezzotint  is  that  of  the 
Right  Hon.  Henry  Pelham,  son  of  the  first 
Lord  Pelham,  who  after  distinguishing  him- 
self at  the  battle  of  Preston,  became,  in 
171 8,  member  of  Parliament  for  Seaford. 
He  filled  several  offices  under  Sir  Robert 
Walpole,  and  was  subsequently  First  Lord 
of  the  Treasury  and  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer,  from  August  1743  until  his 
death  in  March  1764.  The  picture  was 
painted  by  William  Hoare  in  1752,  and, 
as  it  was  announced,  was,  "  To  be  had  at 
Mr  Russell's  Toy  Shop  at  Charing  Cross, 
London,  and  Mr  Hoare  at  Bath." 

The  portrait  of  Maria,  Countess  of 
Waldegrave,  afterwards  Duchess  of  Glou- 
cester, which  was  painted  by  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  was  also  engraved  in  mezzo- 
tint by  Houston,  and  is  regarded  as  one 
of  his  finest  plates. 

The    next    English    mezzotinter    of    note 

who    most    nearly    approaches    Houston    is 

William   Faithorne,   junr.,    son    of  William 
141 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Faithorne,  the  line  engraver,  whose  romantic 
history  would  fill  a  stirring  volume.  Fai- 
thorne  the  elder  needs  no  praise  from  me, 
his  work  is  too  well  known  ;  and  as  I  am 
just  now  limited  to  mezzotints,  I  will  only 
briefly  sketch  his  career.  He  fought  on 
the  king's  side  d'^ing  the  disastrous  Civil 
War,  and  was  captured  and  imprisoned  at 
Aldersgate,  where  he  pursued  his  calling 
as  an  engraver.  Subsequently  released,  he 
went  to  France,  but  was  ultimately  per- 
mitted to  return,  and  honoured  Printing 
House  Square,  where  the  offices  of  the 
Times  now  stand,  by  making  that  his  place 
of  residence.  Most  authorities  agree  that 
his  son,  William  Faithorne,  junr.,  who 
elected  to  work  in  mezzotint,  was  a  man 
of  irregular  habits,  but  none  can  gainsay 
the  excellence  of  his  work.  As  I  cannot 
comprehend  what  service  is  rendered  by 
making  up  scandals  or  keeping  dishonour — 
if  any  ever  existed — alive,  I  prefer  to  leave 
the  subject.  Our  best  men  in  Art  and 
Letters  are  known  to  have  failings,  and  it 
seems  to  me  idle  to  repeat  tales  which,  even 

at  the  time,  appear  to  have  been  only  hear- 
142 


EARLY  BRITISH  MEZZOTINTERS 

say  or  idle  gossip.  We  may  take  it  that 
Faithorne,  junr.,  was  careless  enough  or  he 
would  have  scored  more  heavily  than  he 
did,  but,  having  said  that,  we  have  said 
enough. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  mezzotints 
engraved  by  Faithorne  is  of  Charles  I.,  which 
is  something  like  the  print  by  Faber,  junr., 
and  bears  the  announcement,  "W.  Fai- 
thorne itcy  E.  Cooper  ex."  At  the  top 
are  the  words,  "  Corruptibilem  pro  incor- 
ruptible," and  beneath  are  the  same  verses 
which  appear  on  Faber's  print,  and  which 
should  give  joy  to  the  ladies  and  gentle- 
men who  annually  decorate  the  statue  of 
the  monarch  in  Trafalgar  Square. 

"  Looking  to  Jesus  so  our  sovereign  stood, 
Praying  for  those  who  Thirsted  for  his  Blood  ; 
But  high  in  Bliss  with  his  Celestial  Crowne, 
Now  with  an  Eye  of  Pity  hee  looks  Downe 
While  some  Attaque  his  other  life  his  Fame 
Ludlow  revived  to  blot  the  Royal  Name 
On  sacred  Majesty  Profanely  treads, 
Madd  to  sett  up  ye  beast  with  many  Heads. 
New  Regicides  bad  as  the  Old  dare  call 
The  Martyrs'  blood  on  their  own  heads  to  Fall, 
143 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

And  black  as  those  who  Frocks  and  Visors  wore. 

There  barefac'd  Hangmen  trample  on  his  Gore 

Can  it  bee  silent,  can  it  cease  to  cry 

Such  Feinds  forbid  it  in  repose  to  Lye  ! 

'Tis  well  the  blood  of  God  speaks  better  Things 

Than  that  of  Abell  or  a  murdered  King's." 

There  is  also  considerable  charm  about 
Faithorne's  portrait,  after  Lely,  of  Elizabeth 
Cooper,  who  is  represented  taking  grapes 
from  the  hands  of  a  young  kneeling  Moor. 
The  detail  here  is  very  choice,  and  beneath 
the  second  states  are  the  lines — 

"Beauty  commands  submission  as  its  due, 
Nor  is't  the  Slave  alone  that  owns  this  true, 
Much  fairer  Youths  shall  this  just  tribute  pay, 
None  Fate  deplore,  but  thankfully  obey." 

I  hope  these  lines  are  Faithorne's,  for  a 
graceful  compliment  covers  a  multitude  of 
sins. 


144 


CHAPTER  X 

MORE    MASTERS    OF    MEZZOTINT 

From  Houston  and  Faithorne,  J  pass  to 
that  great  master  of  mezzotint — Valentine 
Green.  His  is  a  name  which  can  never 
fail  to  be  acclaimed,  for  he  was  not  only 
the  leader  of  his  day  in  the  ranks  of  en- 
gravers, but  was  the  first  exponent  of  the 
art  to  whom  the  Royal  Academy  deigned 
to  give  recognition.  It  seems  strange  to 
think  that  up  to  his  time  the  art  of  the 
engraver  was  held  in  such  slight  regard  as 
not  to  merit  anything  save  condescension 
from  the  painter  ;  stranger  still  to  remember 
that  the  prejudice  continues,  and  that  the 
men  who  popularise  the  painter,  and  make 
his  name  a  household  word,  and  his  works 
available  for  the  adornment  of  the  humblest 
home,  are  not  yet  publicly  placed  in  the 
position  which  they  undoubtedly  occupy. 
Time  must  change  this,   as   it  has  changed 

many   things,   and    for    the    sake    of  Art   I 
k  145 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

trust  it  will  not  be  long  before  it  does  so. 
Before  alluding  to  the  life  and  work  of 
Valentine  Green,  who  might  have  remained 
a  solicitor's  clerk  all  his  life  had  he  not 
been  born  a  genius,  it  is  well  to  remember 
what  that  usually  accurate,  but  not  at  all 
eulogistic,  chronicler,  Bryan,  says  of  him. 
Bryan  writes  : — 

"  Green  participates  with  McArdell  and  Earlom 
in  the  merit  of  having  been  the  first  artists  who 
gave  consequence  and  variety  to  the  particular 
mode  of  engraving  to  which  they  devoted  them- 
selves ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  Green's 
celebrated  engravings  of  Hannibal  and  Regulus, 
after  the  pictures  by  West,  in  the  Royal  Collec- 
tion, were  the  first  plates  of  equal  magnitude  and 
importance  that  had  appeared.  These  were  suc- 
ceeded by  several  others  of  similar  consideration, 
which  will  ever  rank  among  the  ablest  and  most 
energetic  efforts  of  mezzotint." 

I  agree  with   all    this,  but  I  am  inclined 

to  go  further  than  Bryan,  for  however  great 

M'Ardell    and    Earlom,    of  whom    I    shall 

speak  later,  were  in    Art,  I  hold  Valentine 

Green  to  be  the  superior.     It  has  been  the 

fashion  to  sneer  at  Green  because  he  accepted 

the    doubtful    honour    of    being    made    an 

Associate  Engraver  of  the  Royal  Academy, 
146 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

but,  to  impartial  minds,  it  will  seem  pretty- 
clearly  apparent  that  he  did  this,  not  to 
enhance  his  own  reputation,  which  needed 
no  bolstering,  but  in  order  to  compel  recog- 
nition of  the  artistic  genius  of  his  most 
neglected  comrades.  His  acceptance  has 
always  seemed  to  me,  taken  in  the  light 
of  his  known  character,  to  have  been  an 
act  of  self-sacrifice,  for  no  half  distinction 
could  honour  Green,  and  the  nobler  laurels 
that  he  won  sustain  my  opinion.  A  born 
artist,  his  one  thought  was  to  advance  Art, 
and  when  he  accepted  the  Academy's  crown 
of  thorns  he  did  so,  in  my  opinion,  to 
benefit  his  fellows.  Just  think  of  his  early 
training,  and  this  becomes  apparent.  He 
was  born  in  an  Oxfordshire  village,  Salford, 
near  Chipping  Norton,  and  his  father  was 
simply  a  dancing-master.  Now,  however 
much  we  allow  the  great  part  dancing 
played  in  the  social  life  of  the  middle 
seventies,  we  cannot  admit  that  a  professional 
instructor  was  likely  to  hold  any  distin- 
guished place  in  the  eye  of  exclusive  society. 
Dickens  showed  this,  at  a  much  later  period, 
in  his  magnificent  novel,  Dombey  and  Son, 
when  he  portrayed  the  indignation  of  the 
147 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Baronet  against  poor  Mr  Baps,  the  dancing- 
master  at  Dr  Blinker's  school,  and  Dickens 
was  the  most  discriminating  critic  of  the 
views  of  the  society  of  his  day  that  we  have. 
It  is  idle  to  suppose  that  the  prejudice 
which  existed  in  his  time  was  less  in  a  far 
more  exclusive  age,  hence  I  am  compelled 
to  the  opinion  that  Valentine  Green,  from 
a  social  point  of  view,  started  in  life  very 
heavily  handicapped.  It  is  natural  to 
suppose  that  when  his  father  articled  him, 
somewhere  about  1755,  to  Mr  Phillips, 
the  Town-Clerk  of  Evesham,  he  thought 
his  son  was  obtaining  a  rise  in  life.  But 
Evesham  was  the  very  worst  place  in 
England  to  which  to  send  a  lad  of  true 
artistic  temperament. 

Who  does  not  know  its  old-world  associa- 
tions, its  beauty  of  surrounding,  its  archi- 
tectural, ecclesiastical  and  sylvan  charm  ? 
Valentine  Green  drank  in  the  delights  of 
the  place  in  which  his  lot  was  cast ;  he 
realised  all  the  poetry  of  the  spot,  and  its 
subtle  influence,  acting  upon  his  artistic 
imagination,  determined  his  future  career. 
We  have  reason    to    be  thankful  to  Green, 

the   dancing-master,    when    he  sent  his  son 
148 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

to  such  a  town,  for  not  all  the  possible 
emoluments  of  an  honourable  legal  career 
could  swamp  the  enthusiasm  of  an  artist 
born,  who  might  well  have  exclaimed  with 
Moore — 

"  And  O  if  there  be  an  Elysium  on  earth, 
It  is  this  ;  it  is  this  !  " 

So  Valentine  Green  broke  his  indentures, 
at  least  so  it  is  said,  and,  in  1760,  became 
a  pupil  of  Robert  Hancock,  the  best  known 
line  engraver  in  i(  the  faithful  city "  of 
Worcester.  Here  all  the  delights  of  scenery 
and  antiquarianism  to  which  he  had  been 
accustomed  in  Evesham  were  emphasised, 
and  here  his  artistic  education  proper  may 
be  said  to  have  commenced. 

It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  five 
years  spent  by  Valentine  Green  under  the 
experienced  tuition  of  Robert  Hancock,  who, 
beside  being  an  admirable  engraver,  was 
also  designer  to  the  Royal  Porcelain  Works, 
Worcester,  were  fraught  with  vast  conse- 
quence to  the  future  master  of  mezzotint. 
He  not  only  had  a  man  of  rare  fancy  and 
consummate  skill  to  guide  him,  but  he  was 

surrounded    by    beauty,    natural    and     man- 
149 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

created,  such  as  is  rarely  to  be  found  in  one 
place.     It   is   impossible    for  anyone    of  an 
artistic    temperament    not   to    revel   in    the 
varied    scenes    which     the     grey    old    city 
presents.       The    river,    woods,     and     hills 
shown  in  new  lights  a  dozen  times  a  day  ; 
the  stately  cathedral,  wonderful  in  its  con- 
trasts of  colour,  and  giving  rare  opportunity 
for  the  study  of  those  depths  of  light  and 
shade  which  the  art  of  mezzotint  so  admir 
ably  displays  ;  the  many  other  architectural 
gems  which  the  city  possesses,  and  the  ever- 
shifting  scenes  and  studies  of  life  to  be  seen 
in  the  Market  Square,  especially  during  the 
hop    season,    must    have    been    sources    of 
unfailing   delight    to    Valentine    Green,  and 
have    stimulated    him    to    exertions    in    the 
realm    of  Art    which,    midst    less    inspiring 
surroundings,  might  not  so  fully  have  been 
called  forth.     How  much  impressed  he  was 
is  shown  in  his  History   and  Antiquities  of 
Worcester )    a    volume    which    proves    that    if 
the    author    had    not  been    great  in  Art  he 
might  have  made  a  mark  in  letters.     It  was 
in    1760    that     Valentine     Green    went    to 
Worcester,   and    in     1765     he    quitted    the 

West  for  London,  and  set  himself  seriously 
150 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

to  the  work  of  engraving  in  mezzotint. 
How  speedily  success  followed  is  well  known. 
He  exhibited  at  the  Society  of  Artists  a 
year  after  his  arrival  in  the  Metropolis, 
and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Society 
in  1767;  exhibited  at  the  Royal  Academy, 
1774,  and  was  elected  an  Associate  Engraver 
in  the  year  following.  I  have  spoken  about 
this  appointment  already,  and  need  only 
add  that  the  half-hearted  recognition  of 
the  Academy  was  followed  by  his  appoint- 
ment as  mezzotint  engraver  to  the  king. 
Valentine  Green  was  fortunate  enough, 
during  his  early  days  in  London,  to  find 
favour  with  Alderman  Boydell,  for  whom 
he  did  such  good  work  that  his  future 
seemed  assured.  In  an  evil  hour  for  him, 
however,  he  received  from  the  reigning 
Duke  of  Bavaria  the  exclusive  right  to 
engrave  the  pictures  in  the  Diisseldorf 
Gallery,  which  was  destroyed  during  the 
siege  of  the  city,  but  not  until  he  had 
published  some  twenty-two  plates  ;  the  loss, 
however,  was  great,  and  he  did  not  really 
recover  from  it  until,  in  1805,  he  was 
appointed  keeper  to  the  newly-founded 
British   Institution. 

151 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

It  would  be  impossible  in  my  space  limit 
to  enumerate  even  a  tithe  of  the  works  that 
he  produced,  for  considerably  more  than 
four  hundred  plates  were  engraved  by  him  ; 
his  portraits,  after  Reynolds,  Romney, 
Batoni,  Gainsborough,  West,  Dance  and 
Zoffany  being,  perhaps,  the  best  known. 
He  excelled  in  this  direction,  but  his  subject 
works,  after  Rubens,  Murillo,  Vandyck, 
F.  Barocci,  Domenichino,  L.  Carracci,  and 
R.  Morton  Page  are  distinguished  by  the 
same  excellence  which  marked  his  portraits, 
and  it  is  not  easy  to  signal  any  out  for 
special  mention. 

His  plates  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds 
were — Countess  of  Aylesford,  1783;  The 
Bedford  Family,  1778  ;  Miss  Campbell, 
1779;  Sir  W.  Chambers,  1780;  Lady 
Betty  Compton,  178 1  ;  The  Earl  of  Dal- 
keith, 1778;  Lady  Betty  Delme,  1779; 
Georgiana,  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  1780  ; 
Lady  Jane  Halliday,  1779  ;  Countess 
of  Harrington,  1780  ;  Lady  Henrietta 
Herbert,  1778  ;  Lady  Caroline  Howard, 
1778  ;  Lady  Louisa  Manners,  1779  ; 
Duchess    of   Rutland,     1780;    Countess   of 

Salisbury,      178 1  ;     Lady     Talbot,      1782  ; 
152 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

Viscountess  Townshend,  1780;  Ladies 
Waldegrave,    178 1. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Valentine  Green 
did  not  engrave  any  Reynolds'  picture 
during  the  latter's  lifetime,  after  Lady  Ayles- 
ford  in  1783.  The  reason  for  this  was  a 
dispute  between  the  engraver  and  the  painter 
concerning  the  picture  of  Mrs  Siddons  as 
the  Tragic  Muse.  Green  claimed  that  the 
picture  was  promised  to  him,  and  when  it 
was  given  to  Haward,  he  wrote  a  very  strong 
letter,  dated  31st  May,  to  Sir  Joshua,  who 
replied  to  it  in  equally  strong  terms  the 
next  day,  1st  June  1783.  These  letters, 
which  are  still  in  existence,  are  too  long 
to  print,  but  Sir  Joshua  had  by  far  the 
best  of  the  argument,  and  evidently  took 
such  umbrage  about  the  claim,  that  he  never 
after  allowed  Valentine  Green  to  engrave 
another  of  his  pictures. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  subject  of 
Mrs  Siddons  as  the  Tragic  Muse  was  far 
more  suited  to  the  style  of  engraving  of 
Francis  Haward  than  it  was  to  that  of 
Valentine  Green.  In  Mr  Green's  letter  he 
shows  that  he  was  a  publisher  as  well  as 
an  engraver,  for  he  suggests  that  he  could 
153 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

have  employed  Haward  to  engrave  it  for 
him,  had  Sir  Joshua  wished  it  ;  but  the  latter 
evidently  preferred  to  deal  directly  with 
Haward. 

Among  his  more  celebrated  portraits  after 
other  masters  are — The  Elector  of  Bavaria, 
after  P.  Batoni  ;  Sir  T.  W.  Wharton,  The 
Earl  of  Derby  and  the  Marquess  of  Huntly, 
after  Vandyck ;  Richard  Cumberland  and 
Mrs  Yates,  after  Romney  ;  William  Powell 
and  Robert  Bensley  as  King  John  and 
Hubert,  after  Mortimer  ;  Garrick  and  Mrs 
Prit chard  in  Macbeth ,  after  ZofTany,  and 
portraits  of  Mortimer  and  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds.  Other  of  his  great  works  beside 
portraits  are  —  The  Stoning  of  Stephen, 
1776  ;  Raising  of  Lazarus,  Christ  and  the 
Little  Children,  Peter's  Denial,  Jacob  Bless- 
ing the  Sons  of  Joseph,  1768  ;  Daniel  and 
Belshazzar's  Dream,  1777  ;  Nathan  and 
David,  1784;  St  Peter  and  St  John  Going 
to  the  Sepulchre,  The  Three  Faithful 
Women  at  the  Cross,  Alexander  and  his 
Physician,  Regulus  Leaving  Rome  to  return 
to  Carthage,  Hannibal,  Mark  Antony's 
Oration,  Agrippina  Weeping  over  the  Urn 
of  Germanicus,  Death  of  Epaminondas, 
T54 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

Death  of  the  Chevalier  Bayard,  all  after 
West. 

The  Assumption  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
and  St  John  (with  the  Lamb),  are  after 
Murillo  ;  The  Annunciation  and  the  Nativity, 
after  F.  Barocci  ;  The  Virgin  and  Child, 
after  Domenichino  ;  The  Entombment  of 
Christ,  after  L.  Carracci  ;  The  Descent 
from  the  Cross,  The  Presentation  in  the 
Temple,  and  The  Visitation,  after  Rubens  ; 
Time  and  Love,  after  Vandyck ;  and  as 
foils  which  exhibit  his  versatility,  The 
Sulky  Boy,  The  Disaster  of  the  Milkpail, 
and  The  Child  of  Sorrow,  after  R.  Morton 
Page. 

If  one  were  to  pen  all  that  might  be 
said  about  this  artist,  author,  publisher  and 
organiser,  it  would  read  like  adulation 
rather  than  honourable  regard.  There  is, 
however,  no  need  to  praise  him  ;  his  work 
lives  and  bears  undying  evidence  to  his 
skill  and  rich  artistic  instinct,  and  while 
that  remains,  his  fame  also  is  assured. 
Valentine  Green  died  in  St  Alban's  Street, 
London,  on  29th  June  18 13. 

He  was  a  warm-hearted  man,  a  little 
prone  to  be  hasty,  but  a  fine  organiser, 
i55 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

with    considerable   business  aptitude,   and  a 

firm    friend.       He,    perhaps,     essayed    too 

much,  for  he  published  as  well  as  engraved  ; 

and   I   have  already  alluded   to  his  skill  as 

an  author,  and  with  so  many  qualifications 

he  would    probably  have  been    a  rich   man 

had  he  limited   his  efforts  to  England,  for 

the   chaos  that  abounded  on  the  Continent 

was    sufficient    to    upset    the    schemes    of 

the    most    prudent    and    far-seeing,    while 

Art    was     advancing    here     by    leaps     and 

bounds.      Yet    his    varied    experience    must 

have    been    of  vast    benefit,    and    save    for 

his  own  sake,  one  could  not  wish  his  work 

undone. 

From  Valentine  Green  I  turn  to  his  great 

brother    in    Art,    Richard    Earlom.      This 

artist  also  did  not  start  life  under  the  most 

auspicious  circumstances,  if  some  chroniclers 

are  to  be  believed,  since  his  father  occupied 

the   post  of  parish  clerk   of  St   Sepulchre  ; 

but  I    do  not   overlook   the  fact  that  these 

positions    in     the    City    formerly    did — and 

still  do — carry  with  them  very  considerable 

emoluments,  and    that    handsome    additions 

are    often    made  to    the  nominal    salary.     I 

am     compelled     to     the     conclusion     that 
156 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

Earlom  the  elder  must   have  been  in  com- 
fortable circumstances,   for  he  was   able   to 
place    his    son    as    a    pupil    with    Cipriani, 
which  a  poor  man  could  hardly  have  afforded 
to  do  ;    still  his    social    position  cannot    be 
described    as    being    very    exalted.     Richard 
Earlom  was  born  in    1743,  and  it  is  note- 
worthy that  both  Joubert  and  Nagler  state 
that  he  was  born  in  1728,  and  that  he  died 
in  1794,  whereas  he  died  at  Exmouth  Street, 
Clerkenwell,  in    1822.     Both    these    writers 
are  a  little  confused  about  Earlom,  for  they 
attribute  his   Liber  Veritatis  to  one  Robert 
Earlom,  who,  so  far  as  I  am  aware,  never 
existed.     Richard    Earlom    is  credited  with 
being  the  first  artist  who  made  use  of  the 
point     in     mezzotint,    and,    however    this 
may    be,    many    of    his    finest    efforts    are 
brought  about  in  this  way.     It  was  in   1777 
that   Alderman    Boydell    brought    out   the 
Liber  Veritatis,  for  which  Earlom  executed 
two  hundred  plates,  after  the   style  of  the 
original  drawings  by  Claude  Lorraine,  and 
those  plates,  Bryan  says,  or  most  of  them, 
became  the  property  of  the  Duke  of  Devon- 
shire.   He  did  not  confine  himself  to  mezzo- 
tints, for  he  was   a  capable   etcher,  worked 
i57 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

now    and    again    in    stipple,    and    drew   in 
chalk. 

Expert  opinion  is  very  variable  as  to 
Earlom's  ability.  Thus  Chaloner  Smith, 
usually  so  fair,  makes  a  remark  that  must 
grate  upon  some  people.  He  says — 
"  Although  he  (Earlom)  overcame  many 
difficulties  (some  of  his  pieces,  after  Van 
Huysum,  being  very  much  admired),  he 
cannot,  on  the  whole,  be  considered  to  have 
been  successful  in  proving  mezzotint  the 
best  style  of  engraving  for  all  descriptions 
of  painting.,,  I  do  not  suppose  that  any 
sane  person  ever  considered  that  mezzotint 
alone  was  the  best  style  for  all  descriptions 
of  painting  ;  most  certainly  Earlom  did  not, 
or  he  would  not  have  heightened  his  effects 
with  the  point.  Maberly  suggested,  years 
back,  a  union  of  mezzotint  and  aquatint, 
noting  that — "  Light  foliage  coming  away 
from  a  dark  background  is  seldom  well 
represented  in  mezzotint,  which  is  too  soft 
and  undefined  for  the  crisp  and  sparkling 
isolated  lights  which  are  continually  occur- 
ring in  the  leaves  of  trees."  As  a  set-off,  I 
will  quote  the  opinion  of  M.  Charles  Blanc, 

who  writes  on  this  subject  as  follows  : — 
158 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

"In  mezzotinto  strength  can  be  exhibited 
equally  well  in  the  touch  of  the  lights  scraped 
into  life  as  in  the  shadows,  the  softness  of 
which  may,  if  need  exist,  be  strengthened  by 
etching. 

"  We  have  seen  that  classical  engraving  invented 
numerous  ingenious  variations  by  which  any  objects 
might  be  characterised  through  incision  of  the 
copper — metallic  and  reflecting  bodies  as  well  as 
the  satiny  surface  or  thorny  stalk  of  a  flower,  the 
down  of  a  peach  as  well  as  the  rough  shell  of  a  nut 
and  the  rind  of  a  lemon.  Reduced  to  its  own 
resources  mezzotinto,  though  managed  by  such  a 
master  as  Richard  Ear/om,  has  but  one  grain  to 
express  so  many  different  surfaces,  and  can  pro- 
duce them  with  an  uniform  surface  only." 

I  can  quite  understand  M.  Blanc  speaking 
a  little  diffidently  of  mezzotint,  which  did 
not  find  favour  in  France,  but  he  is  quite 
fair.  He  speaks  of  the  "  certain  poetry, 
vague  —  yet  impressive  —  like  that  of  a 
dream,"  which  pertains  to  mezzotint,  even 
while  he  praises  the  "  precision  of  the 
burin"  and  "  the  verve  of  etching."  It  is 
sufficient  that  he  has  no  half  praise  for 
Richard  Earlom.  That  some  of  Earlom's 
pieces  were  much  admired  is  not  extra- 
ordinary, since  those  fruit  and  flower  plates 
of  his,  after  Van  Huysum  and  Van  Os,  are 
i59 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

some  of  the  best   of  his  many  good  works. 

Of  the  portraits  scraped  by  Earlom,  the  best 

known     are      the     Duke      of     Gloucester 

(Hamilton),  T.   Newton,  Bishop  of  Bristol 

(West),    Lord    Heathneld    (Reynolds),    the 

Duke  of  Richmond  and  the  Duke  of  Aren- 

berg    (Vandyck),    Rubens'    Wife    (Rubens), 

Portrait    of    Rembrandt    and    Rembrandt's 

Wife  (Rembrandt),  and  a  portrait  of  James 

M'Ardell.     He    also    produced    a    plate    of 

Lord    Nelson,    after    the    original    picture 

presented    to    the    Corporation    of  London 

by  Alderman  Boydell,  which  is  still  in  the 

GuildhalJ,    and    an    interesting    portrait    of 

the  unfortunate  Admiral  Kempenfelt  (after 

T.  Kettle),  who,  with  nearly  900  souls,  went 

down  in  the  Royal  George  while  that  vessel 

was   undergoing  repairs  off  Spithead.     His 

etchings  are  chiefly  after  Salvator  Rosa,  N. 

Poussin,  A.   Sacchi,   Guido,  Tintoretto  and 

Guercino.     I  have  mentioned  his  fruit  and 

flower   pieces    as    among   the    best    of    his 

subject  works,  those  after  Jan  Van  Huysum 

being  exceptionally  fine,  and  among  others 

I  am  inclined  to  give  premier  rank  to  David 

and    Bathsheba,   after   A.    Van    der    Werff; 

the    Presentation    in      the     Temple,    after 
160 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

Rembrandt,  and  The   Miser,  after  Quentin 

Matsys.     This,     of    course,    is    simply    an 

individual    opinion,    for    many    other    fine 

plates  might  be  quoted,  but  I  do  not  think 

that     connoisseurs    will    quarrel    with    the 

limited  selection  made,  seeing  that  if  I  were 

to  give  detailed  reasons  for  my  choice  a  long 

essay  on    Earlom    would    be    essential.     Of 

one    thing  I    am    certain,    namely,    that    no 

impartial  mind  will  grudge  to  Earlom  the 

compliment    paid   to    him    by    M.    Charles 

Blanc. 

Other     mezzotinters     of     note    quickly 

followed,    and   among  them    I    may  briefly 

notice    two     pupils    of     Valentine    Green, 

namely,    James    Walker    and    John    Dean. 

The  first-named    is    sometimes    confounded 

with  William    Walker,  which  is  a  singular 

error.     James  Walker,  the  son  of  a  captain 

in  the  Mercantile  Marine,  was  born  in  1748, 

and  after  serving  his  pupilage   with  Green, 

devoted    himself    chiefly    to    engraving    in 

mezzotinto.     At  the  age  of  thirty-six  he  was 

appointed  engraver  to  the  Empress  Catherine 

of  Russia,  a  post  he  held  for  nineteen  years, 

when  he  returned,  and   died   in  London  in 

1808.     His  prints,   after  Romney,  are  par- 
l  161 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

ticularJy  good.     There  is  some  dubiousness 

about   John  Dean  having    been   a  pupil  of 

Valentine  Green,  but  I  am  not  in  a  position 

to  deny  an  oft-repeated    assertion,  so  I  let 

the  matter  stand.     He   was    born  in    1750, 

and   died    in    1798,    leaving    work    of  rare 

delicacy  behind  him,  so  much  so,  that  it  is 

an  ad'ded  laurel   to  Green  to  presume  that 

he  was  Dean's  instructor.     Of  special  merit 

are  his  plates  after  Reynolds,  Hoppner,  and 

Morland. 

It   would    be    an    easy   task    to    continue 

to    dwell    upon    the    work    of    the    earliest 

and    most    brilliant    exponents    of   the   art 

of     mezzotint,      but      the      theme      could 

easily    be    made   almost    inexhaustible,    and 

might   well    prove    wearisome.     Yet    there 

are  names  which  may  not  be  passed,  such, 

for  instance,  as  Corbot  and  Finlayson,  Dixon 

Fisher,      Hodges,      Purcell,      Pether     and 

Reynolds.     Nor,  looking  abroad,  should  we 

fail  to  notice  those  early  workers,   Quiter, 

Van  de  Bruggen,  Van  der  Berge,  Schenck, 

Lens,  Sarabat,    Barras,    Bouys,  Verschuring 

or    Vandervaart.       Even    this     list     would 

be    sadly  lacking    if   I    omitted  to   mention 

that    brilliant  artist,    Jacques    Christolfe  Le 
162 


MORE  MASTERS  OF  MEZZOTINT 

Blon,  who  came  to  London  in  1720.  Le 
Blon  was,  I  believe,  the  inventor  of  printing 
in  colour  from  mezzotint  blocks,  and  he 
certainly  was  the  author  of  a  work  published 
both  in  English  and  in  French,  entitled, 
"  Colorito ;  or,  the  Harmony  of  Colouring  in 
Painting,  reduced  to  Mechanical  Practice  under 
Easy  Precept  and  Infallible  Rules,  together 
with  some  Coloured  Figures,  in  order  to  render 
the  said  Precepts  and  Rules  intelligible  not  only 
to  Painters,  but  even  to  all  lovers  of  painting" 
His  methods  were  not  very  successful  here, 
and  he  left  for  the  Hague  in  1732,  and  died 
in  Paris  in  1741. 


163 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  GREAT  EXPONENT  OF  STIPPLE 

The  high-sounding  title  of  "  The  Achilles  of 
Art"  was  conferred  on  Francesco  Bartolozzi 
by  Anthony  Pasquin,  and  for  all  its  apparent 
extravagance  there  is  not  a  grain  of  flattery 
about  it.  In  many  respects  Bartolozzi 
towers  above  his  fellows  for  excellence  in 
light  and  colour,  delicacy  of  manipulation — 
though  he  could  be  bold — and  for  rapidity 
in  execution,  and  moreover,  for  his  unusual 
anatomical  knowledge,  which  enabled  him 
to  stamp  the  works  created  by  his  genius 
with  the  impress  of  truth.  He  was  at  once 
a  painter,  etcher  and  engraver,  equally  at 
home  with  the  brush,  the  pencil,  and  the 
burin ;  but  it  is  with  his  greatness  as  an 
etcher  and  as  an  engraver  that  I  have  most 
to  do. 

It    would    be    interesting    to    know    how 
much,  if  any,  of  the    wonderful    ease    and 

facility   which  he  possessed  was  due  to  the 

164 


FRANCESCO    BARTOLOZZI. 


A  GREAT  EXPONENT  OF  STIPPLE 

accident  of  his  birth,  for  his  father  was  a 
goldsmith  in  Florence,  and  the  graving 
tools  used  in  decorative  work  for  metal 
vessels  must  have  been  familiar  to  the  boy 
from  infancy.  Perhaps  he  watched  some 
tyro  in  the  art  in  which  he  afterwards  so 
greatly  excelled,  and  gained  an  insight  into 
the  processes  of  manipulation  before  he  was 
old  enough  to  handle  a  tool.  There  is  no 
reason  why  this  should  not  be,  for  genius 
is  seldom  born  fully  armed,  and  must 
develop  by  stages  ;  nor  is  there  any  reason 
why  the  goldsmiths  should  not  be  ranked 
among  the  earlier  pioneers  of  the  Art  of 
Engraving. 

Descended  from  a  noble  family,  Francesco 
Bartolozzi  was  born  at  Florence  in  1727, 
according  to  the  balance  of  probability, 
although  various  dates  are  assigned,  and  I 
suggest  that  he  gained  his  first  insight  into 
art  in  the  workrooms  of  his  father.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  he  received  instruction 
in  drawing  from  Ferretti  at  Florence,  and 
afterwards  entered  the  Florentine  Academy 
under  Ignazio  Hugford,  and  here  he  made 
the  acquaintance  of  and  formed  friendship 
with  Cipriani,  who,  in  after-life,  was  his 
165 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

brilliant  coadjutor  and  fellow-worker.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  apprenticed  to 
Joseph  Wagner  at  Venice,  and  this  marked 
a  turning-point  in  his  life  ;  for,  like  most 
youths  endowed  with  genius,  he  had  as 
much  to  unlearn  as  he  had  to  learn. 
Bartolozzi  was,  however,  devoted  to  art, 
and  trying  as  the  time  must  have  seemed, 
and  exacting  as  his  master  is  reputed  to 
have  been,  it  was  a  good  time  for  him,  and 
probably  much  of  his  future  success  was  due 
to  the  severe  course  of  training  which  he 
underwent  in  Venice. 

At  first  Bartolozzi  was  regarded  only  as  a 
line  engraver,  but  his  success  in  this  direc- 
tion must  have  been  considerable,  for  he 
enjoyed  the  support  of  such  high  personages 
as  the  Emperor  Francis  I.  of  Austria,  of 
Ferdinand  IV.  of  Naples,  and  of  the  power- 
ful family  of  the  Medici.  Of  more  concern 
to  us  is  his  connection  with  our  own 
country,  for  England  and  Portugal,  as  well 
as  Italy,  can  claim  Bartolozzi  as  an  artist, 
and  this  came  about  through  Dalton, 
Librarian  to  King  George  III.,  who  was 
astute  enough  to  induce  Bartolozzi  to  come 

to  England,  engaging  on  his  own  account 
1 66 


A  GREAT  EXPONENT  OF  STIPPLE 

to  pay  him  a  salary  of  £300  per  annum  for 
a  term  of  years.  He  had  married  Lucia 
Ferro,  a  Venetian  lady  of  position,  but  in 
1764  he  came  alone  to  England,  and  for  a 
time  lived  with  his  friend  Cipriani  in 
Warwick  Street,  Golden  Square,  afterwards 
removing  to  Broad  Street,  Carnaby  Market, 
and  then  to  North  End,  Fulham.  It  has 
been  asserted,  and  I  think  not  quite  justly, 
that  C(  had  it  not  been  for  Bartolozzi, 
Cipriani  might  have  attended  as  chief 
mourner  at  the  funeral  of  his  own  artistic 
fame,  so  much  did  the  designer  gain  from 
the  reproductions  of  the  engraver."  In 
some  respects  only  this  is  correct,  and  it  is 
accentuated  by  the  controversy  which  arose 
with  regard  to  the  Holbein  Portraits  of 
the  Illustrious  Persons  of  the  Court  of 
Henry  VIII.  Dr  Dibdin  asserted  that 
Bartolozzi  thought  he  could  improve  every- 
thing he  touched,  and  was  fond  of  Italianis- 
ing his  faces,  and  asserted  that  the  first 
anonymous  portrait,  thought  to  be  that  of 
Margaret  Roper  (Sir  T.  More's  eldest 
daughter),  as  engraved  by  Bartolozzi,  was 
not  the  portrait  as  drawn  by  Hans  Holbein, 

and   charged    him    with    being    Cf  faithless," 
167 


'  THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

though  he  paid  graceful  tribute  to  his 
<(  peculiar  and  unrivalled  powers." 

But  the  fact  remains  that  Bartolozzi  did 
improve  all  that  he  touched,  the  Holbein 
portraits  especially,  supplying  detail  that 
was  sorely  lacking,  and  he  cannot  rightly 
be  charged  with  being  faithless,  for  he  never 
asserted  that  his  etchings  and  engravings 
were  facsimiles,  Chamberlaine,  the  Keeper 
of  the  King's  Drawings,  did  so  call  them, 
but  he  of  all  men  must  have  known  such  a 
statement  to  be  incorrect.  If,  however,  he 
improved  on  the  work  of  the  designer,  so 
also  did  he  on  the  art  of  the  engraver.  He 
placed  stippled  engraving  in  the  first  rank, 
and  created  a  craze  for  the  red  stipple  prints 
that  is  not  likely  soon  to  die  away,  and 
which  was  stimulated  by  the  cordial  appreci- 
tion  of  his  late  Royal  Highness  the  Prince 
Consort. 

The   first    great    work    which    Bartolozzi 

undertook  upon  his  arrival  in  England  was 

a   series    of   150    etchings  from   Guercino's 

drawings    in    the    Royal    Collection,    which 

were     published     by     Alderman     Boydell. 

Messrs  Henry  Graves  &  Co.,  the  successors 

of  this  great  patron  of  art,  possess  a  number 
168 


A  GREAT  EXPONENT  OF  STIPPLE 

of  finished  proofs  of  the  Guercino  etchings, 
about  which  considerable  argument  arose  as 
to  whether  they  should  be  rightly  termed 
etchings  or  engravings.  The  point  is  a  nice 
one,  and  so  I  quote  the  following  definition, 
sent  by  Mr  P.  G.  Hamerton  to  Mr  Tuer, 
and  published  by  that  gentleman  in  his  work 
on  Bartolozzi  : — 

"The  ordinary  distinction  between  'etching' 
and  'engraving'  is  not  very  clear,  because  etchers 
often  use  the  burin  towards  the  end  of  a  piece  of 
work,  and  engravers  always  use  the  etching  point 
at  the  beginning.  There  is,  however,  a  clear 
test  of  the  fundamental  difference,  which  is  the 
following  : — 

"If  the  freedom  of  the  bitten  line  is  pre- 
served to  the  end,  if  it  is  not  sacrificed  to  the 
formalism  of  the  burin  line,  the  work  is  properly 
described  as  an  etching  ;  but  if,  on  the  contrary, 
the  formal  and  severe  character  of  the  burin  line 
predominates,  if  the  burin  work  overcomes  the 
bitten  work,  and  if  the  bitten  work  has  been  sub- 
ordinate in  its  character  from  the  beginning,  then 
the  result  is  properly  called  a  burin  engraving." 

With    regard    to    his    excellent    work    in 

stipple,     Bartolozzi     chiefly     followed     the 

grained  style,  not  the  more  customary  one 

of  clusters  and  grouping  ;  yet,  as  a  matter 

169 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

of  fact,  he  worked  in  all  styles,  compelling 
the  advantages  of  each  to  yield  to  his  master- 
hand,  and  creating  a  medley  that  is  surprising 
for  its  melting  tenderness  and  harmonious 
effect.  Turning  to  the  coloured  stippled 
prints,  of  which  so  many  forgeries  exist,  Mr 
Tuer  gives  such  valuable  advice  to  the 
young  collector,  that  I  make  no  apology  for 
reproducing  it.  Speaking,  of  course,  of 
Bartolozzis,  he  says— 

"  Fine  examples  are  rare,  and  for  their  produc- 
tion the  copperplate  itself  was  charged  by  the 
printer  artist  with  coloured  inks,  a  number  of 
which  he  kept  in  little  pots  by  his  side.  Each 
individual  dot  or  puncture  being  filled  with  colour 
which  in  the  printing  was  discharged  on  to  the 
paper,  the  spaces  between  the  specks  naturally 
remained  white.  Unscrupulous  vendors  of  re- 
prints now  foist  upon  the  public,  engravings  of 
worn  plates,  printed  in  a  uniform  light  tint,  and 
afterwards  hand  coloured;  but  as  the  whole  of  the 
ground,  including  the  space  between  the  dots  or 
specks  is  coloured,  with  the  stippled  work  showing 
through,  this  spurious  rubbish  is  not  difficult  to 
detect." 

In  1768,  Francesco  Bartolozzi  was  elected 

a    Royal   Academician,    a    fact   which    gave 

great   offence   to   Sir    Robert    Strange,   who 
170 


A  GREAT  EXPONENT  OF  STIPPLE 

thought  that  he  was  slighted,  and  entered  an 
undignified  public  discussion  of  the  matter. 
It  is  to  me  nothing  short  of  a  marvel  that 
someone  was  not  at    hand   to   convince    Sir 
Robert  Strange  of  his  folly,  for,  while  Barto- 
lozzi  was  eligible  for  admission,  he  was  not. 
Bartolozzi  was  a  painter  as  well  as  an  etcher 
and  engraver,  and  a  good  one,  too  ;  he  was 
entitled    to    full   Academy    rank,    while    Sir 
Robert    was    only   eligible    as    an   associate 
engraver.     It  speaks  highly  for  the  sweetness 
of  disposition   of  Bartolozzi  that   he  never 
retaliated,  but  kept  on  his  own  even  way. 
He  had  exhibited  at  the  Society  of  Artists 
and  at  the  Free  Society,  and  was  esteemed 
as  an  artist  as  well  as  engraver  to  the  king, 
and  could  afford  to  ignore  diatribes,  which 
Strange  himself  bitterly  repented. 

Some  wonderment  has  been  occasionally 
expressed  that  the  author  of  the  Clytie,  the 
Holbeins,  the  Marlborough  gems,  etc., 
should  lend  his  genius  to  the  production  of 
benefit  tickets,  however  beautiful,  even  for  a 
day.  But  these  rare  specimens  of  his  skill 
served  a  double  purpose.  Sometimes  they 
were  done  con  amove  to  aid  a  friend,  sometimes 
for  reward  ;  and  surely  they  were  sound  adver- 
171 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

tisement.  The  daintiest  of  these  productions 
were  designed  by  Cipriani,  and  etched  and 
worked  up  with  the  graver  by  Bartolozzi, 
often  in  a  single  day.  His  capacity  for 
work  was  enormous  ;  his  rapidity  of  execu- 
tion almost  phenomenal  ;  and  he  would  chat 
gaily  on  indifferent  subjects  with  his  friends 
the  while  these  exquisite  examples  of  the 
engraver's  art  were  developing  beneath  his 
hand.  In  some  instances  he  received  large 
sums,  as  much  as  one  hundred  guineas,  for 
one  of  these  tickets,  and  as  he  was  as  prodigal 
and  generous  as  he  was  gifted,  there  is  little 
need  for  speculation  as  to  why  these  beauti- 
ful creations  were  executed. 

For  a  time  Bartolozzi  was  associated  in 
partnership  with  his  son,  Gaetano,  as  a 
publisher,  at  81  Great  Tichfield  Street,  the 
most  noteworthy  production  of  the  firm 
being  a  Bacchante,  after  Cipriani.  He  also 
had  a  large  number  of  pupils,  including  such 
men  as  Thomas  Cheesman,  Jean  M.  Delattre, 
John  Ogborne,  J.  H.  Ramberg,  J.  K.  Sherwin, 
Benjamin  Smith,  R.  S.  Marcuard,  James 
Minasi,  P.  W.  Tomkins,  and  others.  Un- 
scrupulous   persons    have    not    hesitated    to 

engrave  the  name  of  Bartolozzi    on    plates 
172 


A  GREAT  EXPONENT  OF  STIPPLE 

which  were  never  touched  by  him,  one 
instance  being  the  portrait  of  Mrs  Jordan, 
by  John  Ogborne,  and  in  another  case  a 
genuine  Bartolozzi  plate  was  mutilated,  and 
the  name  of  an  Irish  engraver  inserted  in  its 
place.  Such  frauds  as  these,  unlike  the 
coloured  stipples,  are  rare,  but  the  collector 
will  do  well  to  be  on  his  guard  respecting 
them. 

In  1802,  Bartolozzi  was  tempted,  by  an 
offer  of  a  knighthood  and  the  position  of 
Director  of  the  National  Academy,  to  go  to 
Lisbon,  where  he  enjoyed  the  friendship  of 
the  king,  and  lived  at  greater  ease  than  he 
had  done  in  London.  It  has  been  asserted, 
though  upon  what  foundation  I  have  never 
been  able  to  ascertain,  that  in  his  latter  years 
he  fell  into  poverty,  but  there  seems  little 
probability  of  this  being  correct,  for  he 
enjoyed  a  pension  from  the  King  of  Portugal, 
and  was  high  in  favour  at  the  Court  of 
Lisbon.  Moreover,  as  he  himself  said,  he 
could  live  in  luxury  there  with  little  work, 
while  here  he  had  to  labour  hard  for  comfort. 
He  died  on  the  7th  March  18 15,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Church  of  St  Isabel  at  Lisbon, 
but  the  stone  that  marked  his  resting-place 
173 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

was  removed  during  repairs,  and  his  actual 
place  of  sepulture  is,  I  believe,  unknown. 

To  nobility  of  birth  Bartolozzi  added 
kindliness  of  character  and  true  genius ; 
he  has  left  an  imperishable  name,  and 
examples  of  skill  that  may  be  equalled, 
but  which  are  hardly  likely  to  be  excelled. 


174 


M?  Thos.  Bewick, 


s/?.    / 


fw/W.    tf  Ms  ■ 


ENGRAT11N6     ON    WOOD 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE    REVIVAL    OF    WOOD-ENGRAVING 

While  English  artists  were  making  them- 
selves famous  all  the  world  over,  especially 
for  their  undisputed  precedence  in  the 
method  of  mezzotint,  the  earlier  art  of 
engraving  on  wood  had  practically  become 
moribund,  and,  here  at  least,  appeared  to 
be  threatened  with  complete  extinction. 
There  seemed  little  prospect  that  engrav- 
ing on  wood  would  ever  be  practised  among 
us  again,  until  in  August  1753,  a  genius 
was  born  in  a  little  Northumbrian  village 
on  the  banks  of  the  Tyne — a  genius  who 
was  not  only  to  restore  an  almost  forgotten 
art,  but  to  lift  it  to  a  degree  of  dignity 
which  it  had  never  before  attained — and 
that  genius  was  Thomas  Bewick  !  Language 
can  hardly  err  in  praise  of  Bewick,  for  he 
was,  in  a  sense,  to  Art,  what  Shakespeare 
was  to  Letters  ;  he  pictured  faithfully  out 
of  his  own  wonderful  perception,  and  not  at 
i75 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

all  through  the  teaching  of  others.  Before 
I  speak  of  his  life  and  work,  I  will  recall 
what  Ruskin  said  of  him — "  Without  train- 
ing, he  is  Holbein's  equal "  ;  and  again, 
"  I  know  no  drawing  so  subtile  as  Bewick's 
since  the  fifteenth  century,  except  Holbein's 
and  Turner's."  Such  praise  from  such  an 
authority  is  great  indeed,  but  I  am  able  to 
turn  to  another  of  importance. 

In   Leslie's    Handbook  for   Young   Painters 
the  following  graceful  tribute  appears  : — 

"While  speaking  of  the  English  school,  I 
must  not  omit  to  notice  a  truly  original  genius, 
who,  though  not  a  painter,  was  an  artist  of  the 
highest  order  in  his  way,  Thomas  Bewick,  the 
admirable  designer  and  engraver  on  wood.  His 
works,  indeed,  are  of  the  smallest  dimensions,  but 
this  makes  it  only  the  more  surprising  that  so 
much  interest  could  be  comprised  within  such 
little  spaces.  The  woodcuts  that  illustrate  his 
books  of  natural  history  may  be  studied  with 
advantage  by  the  most  ambitious  votary  of  the 
highest  classes  of  art — filled  as  they  are  by  the 
truest  feeling  for  Nature,  and  though  often  repre- 
senting the  most  ordinary  objects,  yet  never  in  a 
single  instance  degenerating  into  commonplace. 
The  charming  vignettes  that  ornament  these 
books  abound  in  incidents  from  real  life,  diversi- 
fied by  genuine  humour,  as  well  as  by  the  truest 
176 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

pathos — of  which  the  single  figure  of  a  ship- 
wrecked sailor  saying  his  prayers  on  a  rock,  with 
the  waves  rising  round  him,  is  an  instance.  There 
is  often  in  these  little  things  a  deep  meaning  that 
places  his  art  on  a  level  with  styles  which  the 
world  is  apt  to  consider  as  greatly  above  it,  in 
proof  of  which  I  would  mention  the  party  of 
boys  playing  at  soldiers  among  graves,  and 
mounted  on  a  row  of  upright  tombstones  for 
horses ;  while  for  quaint  humour,  extracted  from 
a  very  simple  source,  may  be  noticed  a  procession 
of  geese  which  have  just  waddled  through  a 
stream,  while  their  line  of  march  is  continued  by 
stepping-stones.  The  student  of  landscape  can 
never  consult  the  works  of  Bewick  without  im- 
provement." 

It  is  not  strictly  accurate  to  say  that 
Bewick  was  not  a  painter,  for  the  water- 
colour  drawings  of  his,  which  were  exhibited 
at  the  Gallery  of  the  Fine  Art  Society  in 
1880,  and  which  were  afterwards  presented 
by  the  Misses  Bewick  to  the  British 
Museum,  show  rare  ability  in  this  direc- 
tion, and  are  quite  gems  in  their  way.  The 
fact  remains,  however,  that  Bewick  was  un- 
taught, that  he  was  an  artist  born,  not 
made  ;  and  yet  the  sources  of  his  inspira- 
tion are  not  far  to  seek  when  the  story  of 
his  life,  written  by  himself,  is  considered. 
m  177 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Thomas  Bewick  was  the  son  of  John  Bewick, 
a  respected  Northumbrian  farmer  and  small 
mine-owner,  and  was  born  at  Cherryburn 
House,  on  the  side  of  the  river  opposite  to 
Ovingham-on-Tyne.  His  mother  was  a 
Miss  Jane  Wilson,  of  Ainstable,  Cumber- 
land, where  her  father  was  either  curate  or 
parish  clerk,  but  certainly  schoolmaster,  and 
from  him  the  future  Mrs  Bewick  learnt 
Latin,  and  much  more  than  was  then  deemed 
necessary  to  "  polite  learning,'*  especially 
for  a  lady.  Yet,  if  we  seek,  as  we  are 
bound  to  seek,  for  Bewick's  wonderful 
appreciation  of  Nature,  and  rare  fidelity  of 
expression,  we  shall  find  it  rather  in  his 
own  love  of  the  beautiful  than  in  the  in- 
fluence of  his  cultured  mother. 

First,  let  him  picture  his  home  in  his 
own  words,  a  home  familiar  to  us  now  as 
Ann  Hathaway's  cottage,  or  the  birth- 
place of  Burns.  He  says — "  The  house, 
stables,  etc.,  stand  on  the  west  side  of  a 
little  dene,  at  the  foot  of  which  runs  a 
burn.  The  dene  was  embellished  with  a 
number  of  cherry  and  plum  trees,  which 
were  terminated  by  a  garden  on  the  north. 

Near    the    house   were    two  large  ash-trees, 

178 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

growing  from  one  root  ;  and  at  a  little 
distance  stood  another  of  the  same  kind. 
At  the  south  end  of  the  premises  was  a 
spring  well,  overhung  by  a  large  hawthorn 
bush,  behind  which  was  a  holly  hedge  ;  and 
further  away  was  a  little  boggy  dene  with 
underwood  and  trees  of  different  kinds." 
Near  by  was  a  rookery,  and  cornfields  and 
pastures  stretched  eastward  bordered  by 
beautiful  trees  ;  but  as  Bewick  bitterly  re- 
marks— "  Needy  gentry  care  little  about 
the  beauty  of  a  country,  and  part  of  it  is 
now,  comparatively,  as  bare  as  a  molehill." 

Westward  was  the  common,  ablaze  for 
miles  with  heather  and  whins,  foxglove,  fern 
and  juniper,  and  intersected  by  bubbling 
burns,  bordered  by  elder  and  willow  and 
birch,  haunts  of  the  birds  he  loved  to  watch  ; 
while  the  banks  gave  shelter,  often  enough, 
to  the  otter  and  the  badger.  His  love  of 
Nature  began  at  a  very  early  age,  and  he 
tells  how — "  From  the  little  window  at 
my  bed-head  I  noticed  all  the  varying 
seasons  of  the  year  ;  and  when  the  Spring 
put  in  I  felt  charmed  with  the  music  of 
birds,  which  strained  their  little  throats  to 

proclaim  it." 

179 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

It  is  not  a  little  strange  that  the  observant 
and  intelligent  boy,  whose  talent  for  sketch- 
ing was  well  known,  should  have  been  sent 
to  a  school  at  Mickley,  which  was  kept  by  a 
dull  ignoramus,  whose  sole  conception  of 
his  duty  seems  to  have  been  blows  and  brutal 
punishment.  Accordingly,  Bewick  played 
truant  often  enough,  and  spent  days  roam- 
ing the  then  beautiful  Northumbrian  hills 
and  drinking  in  the  delights  of  Nature,  or 
fishing  in  the  Tyne,  and  hunting  the  denizens 
of  the  banks  and  burns  ;  but  when  another 
tutor,  James  Burn,  appeared,  he  was  tract- 
able enough.  Unfortunately,  this  gentleman 
died,  and  young  Bewick  was  transferred  to 
the  care  of  the  Rev.  C.  Gregson,  Vicar  of 
Ovingham,  who,  though  stern  enough  at 
first,  afterwards  became  his  friend  through 
life. 

I  have  dwelt  thus  fully  upon  the  child- 
days  of  Bewick,  because  otherwise  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  understand  and  to 
properly  appreciate  the  work  of  this  extra- 
ordinary man.  The  great  point  is  that  his 
love  of  drawing  was  never  encouraged  in  any 
way,  the  subjects  in  which  he  was  instructed 

had  little  interest  for  him,  and  his  school- 
180 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

days  were  generally  marked  by  floggings. 
His  chance  came  at  last,  when  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  that  is,  in  the  year  1767,  he  was 
apprenticed  to  Ralph  Beilby,  engraver,  of 
Newcastle-on-Tyne.  Yet  he  received  little 
instruction,  and  here  is  what  he  says  on  this 
point — "  For  some  time  after  I  entered  the 
business  I  was  employed  in  copying  Cope- 
land's  Ornaments,  and  this  was  the  only 
kind  of  drawing  upon  which  I  ever  had  a 
lesson  given  to  me  from  anyone.  I  was 
never  a  pupil  to  any  drawing-master,  and  had 
not  even  a  lesson  from  William  Beilby  or 
his  brother  Thomas,  who,  along  with  their 
other  profession,  were  also  drawing-masters. 
In  the  latter  years  of  my  apprenticeship  my 
master  kept  me  so  fully  employed  that  I 
never  had  any  opportunity  for  such  a  purpose 
at  which  I  felt  much  grieved  and  dis- 
appointed." Even  under  these  inauspicious 
circumstances  he  found  one  great  oppor- 
tunity, for  although  Beilby  was  a  good 
engraver  on  silver,  copper,  etc.,  and  skilful 
at  cutting  dies,  armorial  bearings,  seals,  etc., 
he  was  impatient  of,  and  unsuccessful  in, 
engraving  on   wood,   and  used  to  turn  this 

work    over    to    his    more    apt    apprentice. 
181 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Thus  Bewick  did  much  work  for  Thomas 
Saint,  the  printer,  and  to  his  joy  he  designed 
as  well  as  cut  the  blocks  for  the  Story-teller, 
Gay's  Fables  and  Select  Fables.  Beilby 
thought  so  much  of  this  work  that  he  sent 
a  few  impressions  to  the  Society  for  the 
Encouragement  of  Arts,  and  Bewick  was 
offered  either  a  gold  medal  or  seven  guineas 
premium,  which  latter  he  chose.  When  the 
period  of  his  apprenticeship  was  over,  he 
wandered  on  foot  through  Scotland,  Oliver 
Goldsmith  fashion,  or  as  his  friends  said, 
"on  tramp."  The  experience  was  good, 
however,  and  increased  that  knowledge  and 
love  of  the  beautiful  which  marks  all  his 
work.  On  ist  October  1776,  he  arrived  in 
London,  where  several  old  friends  were 
established,  and  found  work  waiting  for  him, 
and  a  staunch  friend  in  Isaac  Tayler.  Yet 
though  his  prospects  were  good  and  even 
brilliant,  life  in  the  metropolis  was  by  no 
means  to  his  taste,  and  although  his  departure 
meant  a  rupture  with  Tayler,  he  returned  to 
Newcastle  in  June  1777,  and  shortly  after- 
wards entered  into  partnership  with  his  old 
master,  Ralph  Beilby. 

The  first  success  of  Bewick  came  through 
182 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

a  request  of  Dr  Hutton,  of  Newcastle,  after- 
wards famous  for  his  work  at  Woolwich, 
that  the  cuts  for  his  work  on  Mensuration 
should  be  engraved  on  wood.  I  have  pointed 
out  that  Beilby  was  not  by  any  means  pro- 
ficient in  wood-engraving,  and  consequently 
the  order  was  passed  by  him  to  his  apprentice. 
From  that  time  Bewick  went  steadily  for- 
ward, cutting  block  headings  for  newspapers, 
bill-heads,  and  oddments  of  all  sorts,  and 
producing,  in  almost  every  instance,  work 
that  was  alike  original  and  excellent.  It  was 
his  cut  of  the  Old  Hound  which  obtained  the 
premium  for  the  best  specimen  of  wood- 
engraving  in  1775,  although  Gay's  Fables 
were  not  published  until  1779.  Success 
induced  Bewick  to  project  his  History  of 
Quadrupeds,  published  in  1790,  and  this 
passed  through  three  editions  in  three  years. 
To  aid  him  in  this  work  the  fine  natural 
history  museum  of  Marmaduke  Tonstal,  of 
Eycliffe,  was  placed  at  his  disposal.  He  also 
engraved  on  copper  the  plates  on  Natural 
History  which  appear  in  Consett's  Tour 
through  Sweden ,  Lapland,  etc.,  and  surpassed 
himself  in  the  Whitley  Large  Ox,  and  the 
Chillingham  Bull.  In  conjunction  with  his 
183 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

brother  John,  who  became  apprentice  when 
he  joined  in  partnership  with  Beilby,  he  pre- 
pared the  blocks  for  Msop*  s  Fables,  and 
woodcuts  for  Goldsmith's  Traveller  and 
Deserted  Village,  and  for  Parnell's  Hermit. 
In  1797,  the  first  part  of  British  Birds  was 
issued,  Beilby  supplying  the  letterpress  and 
Bewick  the  woodcuts,  and  the  same  year  the 
partnership  was  dissolved,  by  mutual  consent ; 
so  that  when  Part  II.,  British  Water  Birds, 
appeared,  both  the  blocks  and  literary  matter 
were  produced  by  Bewick.  It  is  but  right 
to  admit  that  Bewick  was  helped,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  by  his  pupils,  notably  by 
Luke  Clennell,  also  by  Nesbit,  Harvey, 
Robert  Johnson,  Ransom  and  Hole  ;  but 
his  was  the  master-hand  and  his  the  designs, 
and  to  him  belongs  the  largest  credit.  His 
brother  John  did  excellent  work,  notably  the 
cuts  for  The  Looking  Glass  of  the  Mind,  and 
for  the  Blossoms  of  Morality  ;  but  of  all  his 
pupils,  Clennell  most  nearly  attained  to  the 
skill  of  the  master. 

For  a  long  time  the  banknotes  issued 
by  Messrs  Ridley  &  Co.  were  engraved  by 
Bewick,  and  he  was  offered  a  position  in  the 

Bank  of  England  to  carry  out  similar  work, 

184 


■ 


Man  &  Horfe  Crow  &  Jug. 

CL'BSLEM:   Printed  ahd-saMly  JOHN  TFXGORTH* 


WOODCUTS    BY     BEWICK. 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

but  refused  sturdily  to  quit  Newcastle.  It 
is  difficult  to  select  any  special  woodcuts 
of  his  as  possessed  of  more  than  the  usual 
interest  which  pertained  to  his  work,  for 
all  was  good  ;  but  the  Kyloe  Ox  is  awarded 
the  palm  by  many  experts.  The  unfortunate 
Chillingham  Bull,  of  which  only  a  few  im- 
pressions on  vellum  were  taken  before  the 
block  split,  is  a  work  of  rare  merit ;  but  to 
my  mind,  his  British  Water  Birds  are  quite 
equal  to  any  other  of  his  performances. 
He  excelled  in  tail-pieces,  each  one  of  which 
conveys  a  story  or  a  moral,  and  which 
constitute  a  phase  of  Art  which  no  one 
since  has  equalled.  As  a  writer  in  Black- 
wood's Magazine  for  June  1828,  remarked — 
"  Happy  old  man  !  The  delight  of  child- 
hood, manhood,  decaying  age !  A  moral 
in  every  tail-piece,  a  sermon  in  every 
vignette."  It  is  singular  that  his  last  cut, 
which  was  unfinished,  was  that  of  an 
old  horse,  and  was  called  "  Waiting  for 
Death." 

If  we  wonder  at  much  of  the   beauty  of 

Bewick's    work,    we    can    easily    solve    the 

riddle,   for  the    answer    is,  that  his    success 

was    due    to    his   intense    love    of    Nature. 

185 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

Read     his     own     glowing    words     on     this 
point — 

"  Had  I  been  a  painter,  I  never  would  have 
copied  the  works  of  'old  masters'  or  others, 
however  highly  they  might  be  esteemed.  I 
would  have  gone  to  Nature  for  all  my  patterns  ; 
for  she  exhibits  an  endless  variety,  not  possible 
to  be  surpassed,  and  scarcely  ever  to  be  truly 
imitated.  .  .  .  The  painter  need  not  roam  far 
from  his  home,  in  any  part  of  our  beautiful  isles, 
to  meet  with  plenty  of  charming  scenes  from 
which  to  copy  Nature — either  on  an  extended  or 
a  limited  scale — and  in  which  he  may  give  full 
scope  to  his  genius  and  to  his  pencil,  either  in 
animate  or  inanimate  subjects.  His  search  will 
be  crowned  with  success  in  the  romantic  ravine, 
the  placid  holme,  the  hollow  dell,  or  amongst  the 
pendant  foliage  of  the  richly-ornamented  dene,  or 
by  the  sides  of  burns  which  roar  or  dash  along,  or 
run  murmuring  from  pool  to  pool  through  their 
pebbly  beds ;  all  this  bordered,  perhaps,  by  a 
background  of  ivy-covered,  hollow  oaks  (thus 
clothed  as  if  to  hide  their  age),  of  elms,  willows 
and  birch,  which  seem  kindly  to  offer  shelter  to 
an  undergrowth  of  hazel,  whins,  broom,  juniper 
and  heather,  with  the  wild-rose,  the  woodbine, 
and  the  bramble,  and  beset  with  clumps  of  fern 
and  foxglove  ;  while  the  edges  of  the  mossy  braes 
are  covered  with  a  profusion  of  wild  flowers  '  born 
to  blush  unseen,'  which  peep  out  amongst  the 
creeping  groundlings — the  blaeberry,  the  wild 
1 86 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

strawberry,  the  harebell,  and  the  violet ;  but  I 
feel  a  want  of  words  to  enable  the  pen  to  give 
an  adequate  description  of  the  beauty  and  simplicity 
of  these  neglected  spots,  which  Nature  has  planted 
as  if  to  invite  the  admiration  of  such  as  have  hearts 
and  eyes  to  appreciate  and  enjoy  these  her  exquisite 
treats,  while  she  may,  perhaps,  smile  at  the  formal, 
pruning  efforts  of  the  gardener,  as  well  as  doubt 
whether  the  pencil  of  the  artist  will  ever  accom- 
plish a  correct  imitation.  But  be  all  this  as  it 
may,  she  has  spread  out  her  beauties  to  feast  the 
eyes  and  to  invite  the  admiration  of  all  mankind, 
and  to  whet  them  up  to  an  ardent  love  of  all  her 
works.  How  often  have  I,  in  my  angling  excur- 
sions, loitered  upon  such  sunny  braes,  lost  in 
ecstasy,  and  wishing  I  could  impart  to  others  the 
pleasures  I  felt  on  such  occasions;  but  they  must 
see  with  their  own  eyes  to  feel  as  I  felt,  and  to 
form  an  opinion  how  far  the  scenes  depictured  by 
poets  fall  short  of  the  reality." 

Thomas  Bewick  died  at  his  residence 
near  Windmill  Hills,  Gateshead,  on  8th 
November  1828,  and  was  buried  in  Oving- 
ham  Churchyard,  within  sight  of  the  old 
home  he  loved  so  well. 

With  the  revival  of  the  art  of  wood- 
engraving  in  England  by  the  gifted  Bewick, 
an    important    period    in    the    History    of 

Engraving    is    brought   to   a   fitting   close, 
187 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

since  the  subject  is  so  vast  and  so  ever- 
expanding  that  any  attempt  to  deal  seriously 
with  it  en  masse,  from  its  known  beginning 
to  the  present  day,  would  be  foredoomed  to 
failure.  There  are  so  many  workers  who 
are,  or  were,  producers  of  good  results, 
although  they  can  hardly  be  classed  as 
masters  of  the  art,  that  it  would  be  un- 
thankful and  ungenerous,  not  to  say  im- 
possible, either  to  discriminate  between  them 
or  to  decide  which  should  be  included  and 
which  left  outside  my  pages.  As  it  is,  I  am 
conscious  of  many  sins  of  omission,  for  the 
most  that  can  be  done  when  handling  so 
large  a  matter  is  to  tread  slowly,  steadily, 
step  by  step,  stopping  only  at  those  great 
artists  who  stand,  as  it  were,  for  milestones 
on  the  path  of  inquiry.  It  was  because  I 
was  aware  at  the  beginning  of  this  task 
that  I  could  not  hope  to  do  more  than  lift 
the  fringe  of  the  veil  which  hides  the 
secrets  of  early  engraving  from  view,  that 
I  contented  myself  with  its  advent  in 
Europe,  and  endeavoured,  as  far  as  is 
possible,  to  steer  clear  of  either  speculation 
or  controversy. 

It  is,  naturally,  not  easy  to  avoid  one  or 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

the  other,  for  past  arguments  have,  in 
many  cases,  been  so  flimsy  and  so  plainly 
partisan,  that  it  is  difficult  to  treat  them 
calmly  if  one  treats  them  seriously  ;  and, 
further,  when  one  is  groping  in  a  maze  of 
mystification,  probability  is  the  only  factor 
which  points  to  any  sort  of  conclusion.  So 
the  disappointing  fact  is  reached  that,  no 
matter  how  deeply  we  have  delved,  we  have 
not,  thus  far,  unearthed  the  precious  nugget 
of  truth  which  we  so  earnestly  seek  ;  although 
in  the  search  errors  have  been  discovered  and 
removed  in  sufficient  number  to  justify  the 
labour  involved.  I  am  reminded  here  of  the 
old  story  of  how  a  poor  farmer  dreamt  that 
if  he  dug  at  the  root  of  a  certain  apple-tree 
in  his  orchard,  he  would  find  gold.  The 
dream  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him, 
and  as  he  could  not  tell  which  tree  was  in- 
dicated, he  dug  at  the  root  of  each  trunk  in 
his  orchard,  and  yet  failed  to  find  the 
treasure  which  he  sought,  and,  cursing  his 
folly,  he  left  the  trenches  open  for  a  time, 
and  only  filled  them  up  when  he  could  no 
longer  endure  the  taunts  of  his  neighbours. 
In    that    interval    light    and    air    had    been 

admitted  to  the  roots  of  the  ancient  trees, 
189 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

heretofore  almost  barren,  and  the  following 
season  saw  each  one  of  them  bending  beneath 
a  weight  of  fruit  ;  so  that  he  did  indeed  find 
gold,  though  not  in  the  particular  way  in 
which  he  had  expected  to  discover  it.  A 
like  result  may,  and  probably  will,  attend 
our  inquiry  into  the  History  of  Engraving  ; 
for  revival  of  interest,  alone,  tends  to  beget 
discovery,  and  readers  have,  by  its  form 
of  publication,  been  placed  in  touch  with 
a  subject  hitherto  dealt  with  only  in  works 
which  are  practically  accessible  only  to  the 
few  through  the  medium  of  our  great  insti- 
tutions and  public  libraries.  This  fact  alone, 
sufficiently  assures  me  that  a  popular  work 
on  the  subject  of  engraving  was  needed. 

I  noticed  at  the  beginning  of  this  work 
the  assumptions  of  Du  Halde,  of  Papillon, 
of  Jansen,  and  of  Evelyn,  that  the  art  of 
engraving  on  metal  and  on  wood  was  known 
to  the  Chinese  one  thousand  one  hundred 
years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  pointed 
out  that  the  Hebrews  were  experts  in  the 
art  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  the 
date  assigned  to  the  Chinese  invention  ;  but 

engraving  and  the  production  of  prints  from 
190 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

engraving  are  two  different  things,  and  proof 
of  the  date  of  the  latter  operation  is  still 
lacking.  Dim  allusions  to  Thibet  are  as 
little  satisfactory  as  the  Chinese  theory, 
although  the  monasteries  of  Lhassa  may 
have  much  to  reveal  ;  but  this,  equally, 
may  be  the  case  with  the  only  partially 
explored  cities  of  the  Toltecs  and  of  the 
Aztecs  on  the  great  American  Continent, 
since  these  races  appear  to  have  been  quite 
as  learned  as  were  the  erudite  mystics  of  the 
East.  I  am  quite  willing  to  admit  that  to 
European  nations,  and  to  most  Asiatic 
peoples  as  well,  Thibet  is,  practically,  a 
sealed  book,  whose  clasps  no  one  has,  as  yet, 
completely  unlocked.  If  we  have  had  peeps 
inside  of  a  half-opened  cover,  it  is  all  we 
have  had  ;  and  to  suppose  that  the  Llamas 
will  allow  their  sacred  places  to  be  entered 
and  their  secrets — if  they  have  any — to  be 
revealed,  if  they  can  help  it,  is  to  presume 
the  most  wildly  improbable  events  that  can 
occur.  Presuming  that  such  places  are 
entered  by  us,  or  by  any  other  civilised 
Power,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  manu- 
scripts, books  or  engravings  (if  any)  will  be 
191 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

revealed.  These,  of  all  things,  are  portable, 
and  if  there  be  a  desire  to  hide  can  be  hidden. 
So  far,  we  have  no  sound  reason  for  suppos- 
ing that,  in  the  matter  of  engraving,  Thibet 
has  anything  to  conceal.  To  argue,  as  has 
been  argued,  that  the  Eastern  peoples  must 
have  been  acquainted  with  engraving  because 
Marco  Polo  does  not  say  that  they  were 
not ;  that  because  the  Venetians  traded  with 
Tartary  and  Thibet,  therefore  they  learnt 
the  art  from  the  Llamas,  who  inspired  the 
Cunios,  who  inspired  the  goldsmiths,  who 
inspired  Finiguerra,  etc.,  is  to  reduce  the 
logic  to  absurdity,  and  is  an  even  less  valu- 
able contribution  to  literature  than  The 
House  that  Jack  Built,  which  doggerel,  by 
the  way,  seems  to  have  inspired  the  authors 
of  these  theories. 

It  would  be  easy  to  waste  a  lifetime  over 
the  conflicting  claims  of  countries  for  the 
honour  of  having  produced  the  first  European 
engraver,  and  to  write  on  the  work  of 
Turrecremata  in  1467,  of  Valturius  in  1472, 
of  Pfister  in  1461,  and  of  the  doubtful 
Coster  in  1440,  but  we  have  historical  evi- 
dence in  favour  of  the  Cunio  theory,  dated 
192 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

1285,  and  with  that,  until  better  evidence 
offers,  it  is  well  to  be  content.  That  more 
conclusive  information  respecting  engraving 
both  in  Europe  and  in  the  East  will  be 
forthcoming  I  firmly  believe  ;  and  if  I  may 
venture  upon  speculation,  I  fancy  that  the 
truth  will  be  found  hidden  away  in  forgotten 
muniment  boxes  of  princely  or  noble  families, 
or  in  the  archives  of  corporations,  or  perhaps 
in  the  unpublished  records  of  Pekin  or  of 
the  Vatican.  Of  course,  this  is  sheer  specu- 
lation ;  I  have  not  a  peg  upon  which 
safely  to  hang  such  a  theory,  yet  it  is  not  an 
unfair  deduction,  when  we  remember  the 
many  "finds"  of  literary  and  art  treasures 
that  have  been  made  within  recent  years.  I 
mention  two  of  the  world's  greatest  store- 
houses of  art,  not  because  I  have  ever  heard 
that  they  contain  any  such  evidence  as  we 
seek,  but  because  I  do  believe  that  no  living 
soul  has  any  notion  of  the  values  that  are 
therein  concealed.  Here  I  may  fittingly  note 
that  almost  everyone,  rich  or  poor,  can 
aid  in  the  inquiry  into  the  History  of 
Engraving  and  all  the  side  issues  involved  ; 
the    rich    by     expert    examination     of    the 

N  193 


THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING 

books  and  prints  which  they  possess,  and  the 
poor  by  ceasing  to  regard  old  and  possibly 
dust-grimed  volumes  and  pictures  as  value- 
less, and  by  taking  the  trouble  to  find  out 
what  they  are.  We  have  seen,  in  the  case  of 
the  broken-up  volume  of  the  Biblia  Pauperurn, 
the  Ars  Moriendi  and  the  Apocalypse,  how 
serious  the  loss  of  a  date  becomes  ;  we  have 
also  seen,  in  the  story  of  the  Cunios,  how 
much  depends  upon  the  mention  of  the 
muniments  of  Faruza  of  Count  Alberico 
Cunio  in  1285.  The-  bulk  of  conclusive 
evidence  is,  in  the  first  instance,  built  up 
from  trifles,  and  the  smallest  data  will  not  be 
unimportant  if  it  sheds  even  the  feeblest 
gleam  of  light  upon  so  much  as  is  dark  in 
the  history  of  Art. 

While  I  am  ending  this  section  of  my 
history  with  Bewick,  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be 
thought  that  my  task  is  concluded.  The 
masters  of  the  nineteenth  century  have  yet 
to  be  dealt  with,  and  the  study  of  the  past 
can  never  be  relaxed,  for  none  can  tell  what 
revelations  are  in  store.  All  that  I  am  doing 
now  is  to  close   the  subject  for  a  time,  to 

return  to  it,  I  trust,  ere  long,  and  to  bring 
194 


REVIVAL  OF  WOOD-ENGRAVING 

the  story  up  to  our  own  day.  I  am  well 
aware  that,  as  I  have  penned  it,  my  history 
is  but  a  skeleton  after  all,  but  it  is,  I  hope, 
a  solid  framework  upon  which  the  student 
can  build  to  his  advantage. 


195 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Albemarle,  Duke  of  .  115 
Althorp  Collection  .  .  33 
Angelico,  Fra  .  .  •  104 
Angelo,  Michael  24,  57,  104 
Antonio,  Marc,  see  Raimondi 

Baldini,  Baccio  24,  98,  99,  104 


Bandinelli,  Baccio 

Bank  of  England 

Barlacci     . 

Barras 

Barocci 

Bartolozzi,  Francesco 


.     92 
.   184 

•     93 
.   162 

152,  155 
63,  164 
to  174 
Bartolozzi,  Gaetano  .  .172 
Bartsch  .  12,  84,  92,  95,  98 
Batoni,  P.  .  .  .  152,  154 
Beckett,  Isaac  121, 122,  124,  127 
Beilby,  Ralph  .  181  to  184 
Berge,  Van  der  .  .  .162 
Berjeau  .  .  .  .40 
Bewick,  John  .  .  .184 
Bewick,  Thomas  82,  175  to  187, 
194 
Bibliotheque  Royale  de  Paris  36 
Blanc,  Mon.  Charles  57,  118, 
158,  159,  161 
Blois,  A.  de  .  .  .114 
Blooteling.  .  114,  116,  120 
Bogaerde,  Henri  van  der  .  39 
Botticelli,  Sandro  99,  100  to  102, 
104 
Bouts,  Derick  .  .  -39 
Bouys  .  .  .  .162 
Bowles,  Carrington  .  .  137 
Boydell,  Alderman  128,  151. 
157,  160,  168 
Bramantino  .  .  .90 
Breikopf    .         .         .  19 

British  Museum,  The  40,42,44, 
49,  54,  71,  74,  113,  177 
Bromley  ....  126 
Browne,  A.  122,  123,  124,  126 
Brooks,  John  .  .  .  133 
Bruggen,  Van  de  .  .162 
Bryan  .  59,  60,  86,  146,  157 
Bryce,  Hugh      .         .         -78 


Budd 

PAGE 
•     134 

Bullett 

•     13 

Burn,  James 

.   180 

Burnet,  Bishop  . 

.     64 

Callot,  Jacques 

87  to  89 

Carpenter,  Jenken 

.     68 

Carracci,  L. 

I52>  l5S 

Caspar,  Theodore 

.  112 

Cassoli,  J.  de 

•     74 

Caxton  72,  73,  75,  77 

78,  82,  83 

Cellini,  Benvenuto 

.     86 

Chamberlaine     . 

63,  168 

Chatto 

I5>45>6i 

Cheesman,  Thomas 

.  172 

Christ,  Professor 

•     65 

Cipriani     .     157,  i6f 

',  167,  172 

Clennell,  Luke  . 

.   184 

Cole,  Sir  Ralph 

.   117 

Consett 

■   183 

Conway 

12 

Cooper,  E. 

.   126 

Corbot 

.   162 

Corregio    . 

•   125 

Corser 

.     42 

Coster,  Lawrence  25  to  27,  44, 

45,  192 

Cotes         ....   135 

Cousin        .         .         .         .26 

Cunio,  Captain  Alberico    8,  11, 

14,  16,  20,  192,  194 


Dalton    . 

Dance 

Dante 

Dean,  John 

Dechamps 

Delaborde 

Delattre,  Jean,  N. 

Devonshire,  Duke  of 

Denny,  Sir  Anthony  . 

Diamond,  Dr  Hugh  W. 

Dibdin,  Dr  28,  29,  45, 

Dickens,  Charles 

Disraeli 

Domenichino 

Douce,  Mr 


161 


166 
152 
102 
162 
.  112 
.  118 
.  172 

•  157 

•  67 

•  ii3 
76,  167 

•  147 

•  38 
152,  155 

63,65 


197 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Du  Halde  .      3,  4,  32,  190 

Duchesne  .  .  .  41 5  53 
Duplessis  .  .  .  .84 
Dtirer,  Albrecht  37,  43,  55  to 
57,  59,  °o>  70,  90,  95 
Duvet,  Jean       .         .    83  to  85 

Earlom,  Richard  146,  156  to 
161 
Erasmus  .  .  .60,  62 
"E.  S."  41,49,  5i,  53,55.99 
Evelyn  4,  107,  108,  III,  113, 
115,  119,  123,  190 

Faber,  junior  .  .  .  143 
Fabricius  .  .  .  .69 
Faithorne,  W.,  senior  .  142 
Faithorne,  W.,  junior  121.  141 
to  145 
Faruza  .  .  .  -194 
Ferretti  .  .  .  .165 
Ferro,  Lucia  .  .  .167 
Finiguerra,  Maso  24,  25.  97,  192 
Fillipepi,  Mariano  .  .  99 
Finlayson  .  .  .  .162 
Fisher,  Bishop  .  .  .66 
Fisher  .  .  .  131,  162 
Fust  (or  Faustus)  of  Paris  .     38 

Gainsborough  .  .152 
Galichon   .         .         .  87 

Gerado       .         .         .         -24 
Ghirlandajo,  Domenico       .    101 
Gilpin        .         .         .93,  131 
Goldsmith.         .         .         .184 
Grainger         115,  117,  119,  129 
Green,  Valentine       145  to  156, 
161,  162 
Gregson,  Rev.  C.,  of  Ovington 
180 
Greder,  Captain  de      6,  7,  9  to 
11,  13 
Guercino   .         .    160,  168,  169 
Guido        ....   160 

Hamerton,  Mr  P.  G.  .  169 
Hamilton  .  .  .  .160 
Hancock,  Robert  of  Worcester 

149 
Harvey  .  .  .  .184 
Harzen      .         .         .         .40 


PAGE 

Hastings,  Lord  .  .  .78 
Haward,  Francis  .  153,  154 
Heineken  12,  13,  15,  18,  23, 
24,  33,  44  to  46,  74>  n8 
Hoare,  Wm.  .  -137,  141 
Hodges  .  .  .  .162 
Hogarth  .  .  .  .  134 
Holbein,  Ambrosius  .  .  60 
Holbein,  Hans  59  to  63,  65,  66 
70,  71,  167,  176 
Hole  .         .         .         .184 

Hooke       .         .  .   107 

Hollar  ....  68 
Holper,  Barbara  .  .55 
Holt,  Mr  Henry  F.  .  36,  38 
Hoppner  ....  162 
Horn,  Mr  .       28  to  30,  41 

Houston,  Richard      131,  136  to 
140,  145 
Howard     .         .         .         -95 
Huber        .         .  12,  103 

Hudson  .  .  .  -134 
Hugford,  Ignazio  .  .165 
Humphreys,  Mr  Henry  Noel  ^8 

77 
Hutton,  Dr,  of  Newcastle     183 

Jackson  14,  26,  45,  46,  74,  77 
Jansen  .  .  .  4,  19° 
Janzoon,  Laurent,  of  Haarlem 

25 

Johnson,  Robert         .         .    184 

Kettle,  T.  .  160 

Kneller,  Sir  Godfrey  .  .126 
Kneller      .         .         .         .123 

Laborde  .  .  107,108,113 
Lantensack,  Hans  .  .  65 
Lanzi         .  1  >,  16 

Large,  Robert  .  .  .  72 
Laseri  .  .  .  -93 
Laulne,  Jean  Etienne  de  85,  87 
Le  Blon,  Jacques  Christolfe  162 
Le  Brun  .  .  .  .14 
Lederer,  Hans  .  -65 

Lely  .  .  •  .123,  144 
Lens.  .  .  .  121,  162 
Leonart,  Johan  Friedrich  .  1 14 
Leslie  .  .  .  .176 
Lippi,  Fillippo  .         .      99>  i°i 


198 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Lloyd  .  .  .  .122 
Loggan,  D.         .     121,  126,  129 

Loir 135 

Lorraine,  Claude  .  .  157 
Lotto,  Lorenzo  .  .  -9° 
Louvre,  The,  Paris  .  .  86 
Llibke  .  .  .  -57 
Lutina  .  .  .  .ill 
Luttrell      .  •         .121 

Liitzelburger,  Hans   61,  62,  65, 
66 
Lydgate,  John,  of  Bury  67  to  69 

Maberley  .  .  •  158 
Macaber  .  .  •  .69 
Macuard,  R.  S. .  .  .172 
M'Ardell,  Tames  131,  133  to 
137,  139,  146 
Man,  Rixon  .  ■  .121 
Maratti  .  .  •  -125 
Matsys,  Quentyn  .  63,  161 
Meckenen,  Israel  van  .     54 

Medici,  The  .  .  .102 
Meerman  .  .  •  25,  27 
Michiel  •  •  •  •  39 
Montagna,  Benedetto  .  104 
Moorland,  Henry  .  136,  162 
More.  Sir  Thomas      .         .     63 

Morin,  J Ill 

Mortimer  .  .  •  •  154 
Murillo  .  •  135.  I52».*55 
Musi,  Agostino  di,  see  Veneziano 

Nagler    .  41.  59.  V34.  r57 

Nesbit        .  .         .         -184 

Nieuhoff    .  .         .         .66 

Northcote.  .         .         .134 

Ogborne,  John         .    172,  173 

Ottley  12,  13,  20,  23,  35,  40,  45. 

52  to  54,  63,  84,  102 

Padre  della  Valle  .  .13 
Page,  A.  Morton  .  152,  155 
Papillon  .  4)  6,  7  to  15,  190 
Pardon  Churchyard,  St  Paul's,  68 
Parnell  .  .  •  .184 
Partsch  .  .  .  .41 
Pasquin,  Anthony  .  .164 
Passavant  50,  51,  53,  75.  ^  85, 
91.  92,  94,  98,  99 


Penny 

PAGE 
•               •     138 

Pether 

.     162 

Perugino    . 

.      90,  IOI 

Peruzzi 

.   90 

Pfister 

.  192 

Phillips,  Mr,  of  Evesham      148 

Pinturicchio 

.     100,   IOI 

Place,  Francis    .    ] 

l6,    119,   122 

Polo,  Marco 

20,  23,  192 

Pond 

•    134 

Pope  Clement  VII 

92,  96,   102 

Pope  Gregory  the  Great,   32,  43 

Pope  Honorius  IV 

8,  14 

Pope  Julius  II.  . 

89,  90 

Pope  Leo  X. 

.         .     89 

Pope  Martin  V. 

.     26 

Pope  Sixtus  IV. 

89,  100,  IOI 

Porter,  Miss 

.  184 

Poussin,  N. 

.  160 

Price,  Frank  C. 

.   71 

Purcell 

.  162 

Quiter     . 


.  162 


Raibolini,  Francesco       .     91 

Raimondi,  Marc  Antonio  86,  90 

to  97 

Ramberg,  J.  H.  .         .   172 

Ransom     .         .         .         .184 

Raphael       57,  90  to  92,  94,  97. 

104,  138 

Ravenna,  Marco  Dente  da      95 

to  97 

Redgrave  .         .         .         -137 

Reid,  Mr  .         .         .         .94 

Rembrandt     55,  135,  137.  160, 

161 
Renovier  .  .  .27,  40 
Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua  134,  135, 
140,  141,  152  to  154,  160,  162 
Ridley  &  Co  .  .  .184 
Robinson,  Oliver  .  .  121 
Roroney  .  .  152,  154,  161 
Rosa,  Salvator  .  .  .  160 
Rosselli,  Cosimo  .  100,  IOI 
Rubens,  Paul         66,   152,  155, 

160 

Rupert,  Prince    106  to  108,  11 1 

to  119 

Ruskin       .         .         .         .176 

Ruysch      .         .         .         .90 


199 


INDEX 


Sacchi,  A. 
Saint,  Thomas 
Sandrart    . 
Sarabat 
Sayer 
Schalcken 
Schenck     . 
Schidone   . 
Schon,  Martin 


PAGE 
.  1 60 
.  lS2 

.  66 

.  162 

137,  138 


5,  I27' 


:28 
162 

125 

46 


Seigen,  Ludvvig  von    108,  1 1 1  to 

113,  118 
Sefto,  Cefare  de  .         .         .     85 

Seiz 26 

Sherwin,  J.  K.  .  .  .  172 
Signorelli  .  .  .  100,  101 
Simon  .  .  .  .121 
Sistine  Chapel  .  100,  101,  104 
Smith,  Benjamin  .  .172 
Smith,  John,  121,  123  to  131 
Smith,  John  Chaloner  III,  121, 

122,  129,  135,  137,  140,  158 
.    114 

114,  119 
.    126 

27,95 

41,50,51 

35,  144 

29,  36 

7,  11 

•  136 
170, 171 

•  85 
13,  88,  103 


Somer,  Jan  van . 
Somer,  Paul  van 
Somers,  Lord     . 
Sotherby    . 
Sotzman    . 
Spencer,  Earl     . 
Spencer  Collection 
Spirchtvel,  M.    . 
Spooner     . 
Strange,  Sir  Robert 
Stanley 
Strutt 


Taylor,  Isaac  .  .         .   182 

Temanza    .         .  .          .16 

Teniers      .         .  .         .138 

Tennyson  .         .  .         -73 

Thomas  of  Ypres  .         •    113 

Thompson          .  .    119,  120 

Tillet  of  Moorfields  .         .    124 

Tintoretto.         .  .         .160 

Titian         .         .  .    T04,  125 

Tompkins,  P.  W.  .         .172 

Tonstal,  Marmaduke  .    183 

Tuer,  Mr  .         .  .     169,  170 
Turinne,  Jan  Jac,  of  Berne      1 1 

Turner       .         .  .         .176 

Vaillant,  Wallerant  ill  to  113 

Valck,  G.  .         .  .114,  120 


PAGE 

Valturius  .  .  '.  .192 
Vanderbanc  .  .  .126 
Vandervaart  .  .  124,  162 
Vandyck  ill,  117.  135,  152, 
154,  155,  160 
Van  Eyck  ....  98 
Van  Huysum      .  158  to  160 

Van  Os      .         .         .         .159 
Vasari,  Georgio     24.  97,  101  to 
•   103 
Vatican,  The    89  to  91.  96,  104, 

105,  193 
Veneziano,  Agostino  93,  95,  97 
Verkalje,  J.  .  .  .114 
Verschuring  .  .  .  162 
Vignay,  Jean  de  .          -73 

Vinci,  Leonardo  de  .  -85 
Von  Miirr .         .         .        37,  46 

Wagner,  Joseph  .      -  .   166 

Walker,  James  .  .  .161 
Walpole     .  116,  120  to  131 

Walpole  Collection  .  -67 
Walther,    Friedrich,    of  Nord- 

lingen  43 

Weigel  of  Leipzig  32,  42,  49, 
54,  61,  71 
Werff,  A.  van  der  .  .160 
Wessely  .  .  .  .  113 
West  .         .     152,  155,  160 

Westminster  Abbey  .  -73 
Weyden,    Roger    van    der,    see 

Van  Eyck 
Wharton,  Mr     .         .         .69 
White,  George  .  129  to  131 

Whittington,  Sir  Richard  .  68 
Williams,  R.      .  121  to  124 

Wiltshire  22,  41,  50,  52,  54,  59, 
61,  84,  86,  91,95,  125 
Wilson  .  .  .  .138 
Wissing  .  .  .  -123 
Wohlegemuth,  Michael  37,  56 
Woltmann  .         .        61,  62 

Woodberry  .  .  .21 
Wornum  .  .  .  .61 
Wren,  Sir  Christopher    107,  108 


Yemen  iz  . 

Zani 

Zoffany 


.     42 

14,  19 
52,  154 


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